Abstract
BackgroundIn preparation for a randomized controlled trial, a pilot study was conducted to investigate the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of a psychotherapy group based on metacognitive-oriented social skills training (MOSST).MethodsTwelve outpatients with schizophrenia were offered 16 group-sessions of MOSST. Effect sizes were calculated for changes from baseline to treatment end for both psychosocial functioning and metacognitive abilities measured by the Personal and Social Performance Scale (PSP) and the Metacognition Assessment Scale–Abbreviated (MAS–A) respectively.Results and discussionTen patients finished the full treatment protocol and nonsignificant moderate effect sizes were obtained on PSP and MAS–A scores. To date, this is the first study in Spain to suggest that outpatients with schizophrenia will accept metacognitive therapy for social skills training and evidence improvements in psychosocial functioning and metacognition.ConclusionDespite limitations inherent in a pilot study, including a small sample size and the absence of a control group, sufficient evidence of effectiveness was found to warrant further investigation.Trial registrationISRCTN10917911. Retrospectively registered 30 November 2016.
Highlights
In preparation for a randomized controlled trial, a pilot study was conducted to investigate the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of a psychotherapy group based on metacognitive-oriented social skills training (MOSST)
This knowledge was tested in the second day during a Metacognition Assessment Scale–Abbreviated (MAS–A) consensus meeting using “gold standard” transcriptions developed for the training, which are included in both the English MAS–A manual and the Spanish translation
Results on secondary outcome measures are made available upon request. This pilot study sought to examine the feasibility of a Randomized controlled trial (RCT) to analyze the effects of a newly developed metacognitive SST: MOSST
Summary
In preparation for a randomized controlled trial, a pilot study was conducted to investigate the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of a psychotherapy group based on metacognitive-oriented social skills training (MOSST). Not included in the diagnostic criteria, impaired social functioning is considered one of the most common features of schizophrenia spectrum disorders and has been widely described in the literature [1]. Examples of this set of deficits include poor management of conflicts, difficulty conversing, and aggressive behavior towards family, friends, community members and/or co-workers. Metacognitive deficits may vary from those that affect the ability to differentiate reality from fantasy to the capacity to empathize with others, and to think flexibly about mental states In the literature, these skills have been referred to as social cognition, theory of mind, or mentalization, to name but a few. A wealth of evidence shows that individuals with schizophrenia have deficits on more discrete facets of metacognition such as the perception of emotional information [11], as well as more synthetic aspects of metacognition, such as the integration of information into larger representations of oneself, others and the world [12]
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