Attention Shaping Procedures for Improving Psychosocial Skills Among Adults With Schizophrenia
Condition: Schizophrenia
MeSH terms: Schizophrenia
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This study will evaluate the effectiveness of attention shaping procedures in improving
      attentiveness and learning abilities in people undergoing psychosocial skills training
      treatment for schizophrenia.
    

Detailed description: 
      Schizophrenia is a disabling mental disorder that can interfere with a person's ability to
      function both alone and in social situations. Various treatments have been effective in
      treating schizophrenia, including antipsychotic medications and cognitive therapy.
      Psychosocial skills training, a type of cognitive therapy, is often used to help people with
      schizophrenia cope with their condition and improve social functioning in day-to-day life.
      However, many individuals with schizophrenia experience difficulty paying attention, and this
      is a significant barrier to successful outcomes in psychosocial skills training
      interventions. Attention shaping procedures (ASP) is a behavioral intervention that helps
      individuals with impaired attention capacities to benefit from skills-based treatment. This
      study will evaluate the effectiveness of ASP in improving attentiveness and learning
      abilities in people undergoing psychosocial skills training treatment for schizophrenia.

      Participants in this 5-month, single-blind study will be randomly assigned to ASP plus basic
      conversation skills training (BCS), which is a social skills training group, or BCS alone.
      Training sessions for both groups will be held when participants attend regular hospital
      visits. During the first month, participants will complete two sessions of interviews,
      self-report scales, and social and cognitive functional assessments. Over the next 3 months,
      training sessions for both groups will occur twice a week for approximately 1 hour. ASP
      sessions will focus on setting goals and increasing the quality and duration of participants'
      attentiveness during psychosocial interventions. BCS will train participants in the following
      five skill areas: recognizing verbal and non-verbal cues; starting a friendly conversation;
      keeping conversation going; ending a conversation politely; and incorporating all of these
      skills together. During the last month, participants will attend two interview sessions
      lasting approximately 4 hours each. One follow-up session will occur 6 months after
      completing the intervention.
    

Intervention name(s): Social skills training with attention shaping procedures; Social skills training without attention shaping
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Social skills training with attention shaping procedures includes behavioral procedures to increase the frequency, intensity, and duration of attentive behaviors and to reduce the frequency of inattentive behaviors.; Social skills training without attention shaping is based on the UCLA Basic Conversation Skills Training Module, used without attention shaping procedures.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Cognitive Rehabilitation; Behavior Therapy