Abstract
Purpose: Our aim was to evaluate the effects of problem-solving skills training (PSST) on self-control behaviors and the positive and negative psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia in community-dwelling patients.Method: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in 63 adult community-dwelling outpatients with schizophrenia in Taiwan. The control group (n=28) received routine life skills training alone, while the experimental group (n=35) received both routine life-skills and problem-solving training. The data were collected at four time points (at baseline, and at week 6, 12, and 16 [4 weeks after training ended]). This study measured outcome variables including problem-solving skills (using the Self-control Schedule [SCS]), and psychiatric syndromes (using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale [PANSS]).Results: Our generalized estimating equation (GEE) model showed a significant improvement in the self-control behavior score in the experimental group at week 12 and 4 weeks after training ended, compared with the control group. In addition, the negative symptoms score was significantly improved at week 12 and 4 weeks after training end, compared with baseline.Conclusion: These results demonstrated that PSST and routine living skills training have a positive impact on the negative symptoms of schizophrenia patients and could improve their problem-solving capacity and skills for dealing with daily life and health problems and could moderate negative psychotic symptom severity.
Highlights
Chronic schizophrenia is usually associated with poor functioning, insufficient social skills, limited relationships within community settings
Our generalized estimating equation (GEE) model showed a significant improvement in the self-control behavior score in the experimental group at week 12 and 4 weeks after training ended, compared with the control group
These results demonstrated that problem-solving skills training (PSST) and routine living skills training have a positive impact on the negative symptoms of schizophrenia patients and could improve their problem-solving capacity and skills for dealing with daily life and health problems and could moderate negative psychotic symptom severity
Summary
Chronic schizophrenia is usually associated with poor functioning, insufficient social skills, limited relationships within community settings. The poor functioning in daily life that is associated with poor problem-solving capacity may be due to psychotic symptoms or cognitive impairments. Patients with schizophrenia typically display deficits in attention, working memory, and many other functions of neurocognition, which highly correlate with severity of negative symptoms, low self-esteem, and poor community functioning (Brüne, Schaub, Juckel, & Langdon, 2011; Bowie & Harvey, 2006; Fett, Viechtbauer, Dominguez, Penn, van Os, & Krabbendam, 2011). Eskin (2013) points out that problem-solving treatment is an effective method for psychological problems or distress. They receive psychiatric rehabilitation therapies, patients with chronic schizophrenia are still incapable of solving or effectively overcoming the problems they face in daily life. As a result of poor functioning in daily life, patients experience a range of negative quality of life outcomes, unemployment, http://journal.julypress.com/index.php/ijsn
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