Effect of Valpar occupational assessment training system on cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia

Abstract

Objective To explore the effect of Valpar occupational assessment training system on cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. Methods Sixty patients with schizophrenia were randomly assigned into Valpar therapy group (experiment group, n=30) and traditional rehabilitation therapy group (control group, n=30) according to the order number. The duration of the treatment was six weeks. The brief assessment of cognition in schizophrenia (BACS) and Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST) were conducted as pre-and post-treatment assessment. Results There were significant differences between scores of BASC in pre-and post-treatment assessment in experiment group. More specifically, the BASC scores in symbol coding (37.50±6.50, t=-4.60, P<0.01), token movement(60.80±8.72, t=-2.54, P=0.017), verbal memory (44.40±11.29, t=-2.19, P=0.037)), and word fluency(14.23±4.35, t=-3.39, P=0.002) were significantly different when comparing pre-and post-treatment assessment outcomes. In control group, the only significant difference was found in word fluency (14.23±4.35, t=-3.39, P=0.002). In addition, response errors (57.80±10.35, t=-3.06, P=0.005) and repeat errors (34.67±6.96, t=3.41, P=0.002) in WCST in experiment group were significantly different in pre-and post-treatment assessment while only repeat errors (34.30±7.01, t=4.36, P=0.000) was different in control group. It was further discovered that scores in in symbol coding(t=2.010, P=0.048), token movement (t=2.124, P=0.038), response errors (t=2.413, P=0.020) and repeat errors (t=2.009, P=0.047) in WCST were different between two groups. Conclusion Valpar professional evaluation training system can significantly improve the cognitive function of people with schizophrenia. Key words: Valpar occupational assessment training system; Schizophrenic patients; Cognitive function