Social skills training for schizophrenia: Review and future directions

Abstract

A significant amount of progress has been made in documenting the effectiveness of social skills training strategies for schizophrenia. In an effort to update the literature, the authors first discuss definitions of social skill, competence, and adjustment. Following this, the skills training studies of the past decade are reviewed. These studies indicate several areas in which skills training approaches are useful, and also many areas wherein further modification of techniques is required. Future directions are proposed, with recommendations made regarding the need for: (a) highly focused training protocols; (b) more rigorous assessment of skill generalization and outcome; (c) strategies for clarifying the interrelationships between schizophrenic symptoms, antipsychotic medications, and social skills; and (d) documentation of the increasingly important role of neurocognition in mediating social skill, skill acquisition, and social competence in schizophrenia.