Assessment Of Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills Research Articles

Assessing the Validity and Reliability of the Persian Version of the Interpersonal Problem Solving Skills Assessment Tool in Schizophrenia

Objective: This study aimed to translate the Assessment of Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills (AIPSS) into Persian and to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Persian version of AIPSS to use for adults with schizophrenia. Materials & Methods: In this methodological study, the translation process was performed according to the International Quality of Life Assessment (IQOLA) protocol. The face validity of the translated AIPSS was determined based on the opinions of experts and The Content Validity Index (CVI) and Content Validity Ratio (CVR) were also calculated for each item. The Persian version of the test was performed on 52 patients with schizophrenia disorders at Tehran’s Razi Mental Hospital; they were selected using a convenience sampling method. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to evaluate internal consistency. Inter-rater reliability was determined by the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). A retest was complete on 15 patients with 2 weeks interval and ICC was used to determine the test-retest reliability. Results: Face validity was confirmed by the experts’ opinions. The Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and the Content Validity Index (CVI) were equal to one for all scenes. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for all scales was ranged between 0.511 and 0.821. The ICC in all scales were more than 0.98 for inter-rater reliability. In calculating test-retest reliability, the ICC for all scales ranged 0.733-0.893. Conclusion: Results show that the Persian version of AIPSS has acceptable face validity, content validity, internal consistency, inter-rater reliability test-retest reliability. Therefore, this instrument can be used in clinical fields and research studies to assess the social skills of Iranian patients with schizophrenia.

Errorless learning and social problem solving ability in schizophrenia: An examination of the compensatory effects of training

Compensatory approaches to cognitive rehabilitation in schizophrenia aim to improve functioning by bypassing or compensating for impaired areas of cognition. At present, there is little empirical evidence that these approaches actually compensate for neurocognitive impairments in improving community functioning. This study examined the effects of errorless learning (EL), a compensatory cognitive rehabilitation approach, on social problem solving ability in schizophrenia. The study included 60 outpatients who met DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Participants received a baseline battery to assess explicit and implicit memory functioning. Participants were stratified according to gender and level of memory functioning and then randomized to EL or symptom management training. Training was conducted over two days lasting a total of 6h for each group. Assessment of social problem-solving ability, using the Assessment of Interpersonal Problem Solving Skills (AIPSS), was conducted after completion of training and at a 3-month follow-up without further intervention. Results from hierarchical multiple regression and analysis of covariance each supported the compensatory effects of training. These findings indicate that EL facilitates learning of new skills across varying levels of memory impairment. Future efforts may aim to explore the specific neurocognitive mechanisms involved in EL.

Examining the Contribution of Social Communication Abilities and Affective/Behavioral Functioning to Social Integration Outcomes for Adults With Traumatic Brain Injury

To evaluate the contribution of social communication abilities and affective/behavioral functioning to social integration outcomes for persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Prospective cohort study. A total of 184 adults with TBI (72.8% men) evaluated at least 6 months postdischarge from acute care or inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and after living at least 3 months in the community postdischarge (Mean = 7.84 months postinjury). La Trobe Communication Questionnaire (LCQ), Assessment of Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills(AIPSS), Affective Behavioral subscale From the Problem Checklist of the Head Injury Family Interview (AB-HIFI), Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique-Short Form Social Integration subscale (CHART-SF-SI), Community Integration Questionnaire Social Integration subscale (CIQ-SI). Social communication measures (LCQ, AIPSS) and self-reported behavioral functioning (AB-HIFI) contributed significantly to concurrently measured social integration outcomes after controlling for demographic and injury-related variables. Separate hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that social communication and behavioral variables accounted for 11.3% of variance in CIQ-SI and 16.3% of variance in CHART-SF-SI. Social communication abilities and affective/behavioral functioning make a substantial contribution to social integration outcomes after TBI. The implications of such evidence for clinical assessment and intervention are discussed.

COMT Val 158Met polymorphism is related with interpersonal problem solving in schizophrenia

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate associations between COMT Val 158Met polymorphism, and interpersonal problem solving capacity and cognitive functions in schizophrenia. Methods COMT Val 158Met polymorphism was studied with ARMS-PCR method in 99 outpatients with schizophrenia. Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale was used to assess symptom severity. The Assessment of Interpersonal Problem Solving Skills (AIPSS) was used to evaluate problem solving capacity. Continuous Performance Test (CPT) and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), were used to measure cognition. Results Patients with Met/Met genotype had higher AIPSS subscores for detecting the problem, than those with Val/Val at baseline ( p = 0.02). Met allele was also found to be related with higher AIPSS-receiving skills ( p = 0.04). Val allele was found to be related with more commission errors in CPT ( p = 0.03). There was no relation between Val 158Met polymorphism and WCST and clinical measurements. Conclusion Our findings suggest that Val allele might be related to poor performance on detecting the interpersonal problems, and attention in schizophrenia.

Social problem-solving in high-functioning schizophrenia: Specific deficits in sending skills

This study examined social problem-solving performance in high-functioning schizophrenia ( n = 26) and its relation to neurocognition. Ten healthy controls were used as a comparison group. Social problem-solving was assessed with the Assessment of Interpersonal Problem Solving Skills (AIPSS) method. The schizophrenia group was outperformed by healthy controls on all AIPSS measures, reaching statistical significance for sending skills. Exploration of the internal relationship between different aspects of social problem-solving showed that identification of an interpersonal problem (a receiving skill) was not correlated with formulating solutions to the problem (processing skills) or successfully role-playing solutions (interpersonal sending skills). Non-verbal performance in the role-play (an interpersonal sending skill) was not significantly correlated with identification of an interpersonal problem or the generation of solutions. This suggests a dissociation of social problem-solving processes. Social problem-solving was significantly associated with psychomotor speed, verbal learning, semantic fluency and cognitive flexibility. Clinical implications are that remediation of social problem-solving skills should focus on role-playing (nonverbal) interpersonal behaviors, rather than on verbally analyzing an interpersonal problem and clarifying alternative solutions.

Video‐based assessment of interpersonal problem solving skills in patients with schizophrenia, their siblings and non‐psychiatric controls

The aim of this study was to analyze social functioning in patients with schizophrenia and their biological relatives with a Swedish version of the video-based vignette test Assessment of Interpersonal Problem Solving Skills (AIPSS). In a new video production with simulated "real life" situations we tested the ability to receive, process and send social information in 25 individuals with a DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia, 20 siblings to patients with schizophrenia and 25 randomly selected non-psychiatric controls. The test proved to have good validity and interrater reliability. After controlling for positive or negative symptoms, patients had poor performance especially in acting out solutions leading to effective problem solving. Siblings generally did not differ from controls, but showed some deficiencies in non-verbal language. To conclude, AIPSS is appropriate for use in a Swedish-speaking context and might be useful in research on vulnerability indicators and in assessment of treatment interventions.

Chinese version of the Assessment of Interpersonal Problem Solving Skills

The study consisted of three phases. In the first phase, we translated the Assessment of Interpersonal Problem Solving Skills (AIPSS) from English to Chinese (CAIPSS), studied the Chinese version's cultural relevance and re-edited the film. A qualified translator translated the package from English to Chinese. Another independent qualified translator backward-translated the materials. An expert panel with 14 experienced clinicians was formed to assess the cultural relevancy of the package. All of them stated that the Chinese version was more culturally relevant. Given the preceding, a culturally relevant CAIPSS was finally developed for use by Hong Kong clinicians. The second phase was to evaluate the reliability of the CAIPSS. Some 30 participants (16 males, 14 females) with schizophrenia were recruited for this study. Internal consistency, test–retest reliability and inter-rater reliability were studied. Results indicated good to excellent internal consistency, excellent inter-rater reliability, and good test–retest reliability. The third phase was the study of convergent validity with another group of 30 participants (13 males, 17 females) with schizophrenia. Results show that CAIPSS had good convergent validity with scales measuring similar constructs. To conclude, this assessment package is user-friendly with good psychometric properties. Local clinicians should feel comfortable using it as an integral part of their daily practice to examine their client's social skills.

Cognitive predictors of skill acquisition on social problem solving in patients with schizophrenia

The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between social problem solving ability, clinical features and cognitive functions, and determine the predictors of benefit from social problem solving training in 63 patients with schizophrenia. We administered Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Digit Span Test, Continuous Performance Test (CPT) and the Assessment of Interpersonal Problem Solving Skills (AIPSS). Only BPRS-positive symptoms subscale was negatively related to AIPSS on linear regression analysis. After the completion of the pretest, the patients were randomized to either problem solving training (n = 32) or control groups (n = 31). Patients in training group received 6 weeks problem solving training in-group modality, and those in control group were treated as usual. We readministered AIPSS at the end of 6 weeks. There were significant changes from pretest to posttest on AIPSS-total, AIPSS-receiving skills, and AIPSS-processing skills score in training group but not in control group. The number of correct answers in WCST and CPT hit rate were the predictors of post-training AIPSS scores in training group. Our findings suggest that skill acquisition on social problem solving is related with cognitive flexibility and sustained attention.

Cognitive functions related to interpersonal problem-solving skills in schizophrenic patients compared with healthy subjects

Subjects with schizophrenia have cognitive alterations. The functional consequences of these deficits need to be fully determined, in order to implement more effective rehabilitation programs for patients with schizophrenia. This research explores the relationships between cognitive functioning and social problem-solving skills in a group of 20 chronic schizophrenic patients compared with those found in a group of 20 healthy subjects. The following cognitive domains were evaluated: verbal memory (Rey Auditory-Verbal Test; RAVLT), visuo-spatial organization and visuo-spatial memory (Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test; RF), executive functioning (semantic verbal fluency test; VF, design fluency task; DF and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test; WCST), attention (d 2 cancellation test) and general intellectual ability (Standard Progressive Matrices of Raven; SPM). Social problem-solving skills were assessed with a video-based test; the Assessment of Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills (AIPSS). As a group, patients performed significantly worse than control subjects on every cognitive variable and on AIPSS receiving, processing and sending constructs. Among schizophrenic patients, correlations between AIPSS constructs and neuropsychological tests were observed for VF, DF, d2 and SPM whilst these associations were not replicated in healthy subjects. However, in the whole sample, after adjusting for age, gender and education, SPM displayed significant associations with all three AIPSS constructs. Moreover, after taking SPM into account, neither diagnostic groups (patients versus control) nor cognitive variables, except d2, provided an additional contribution to AIPSS performance. Cognitive impaired performances, mainly frontal, have a deleterious effect on social problem-solving skills in the schizophrenic group. It is suggested that alterations in social problem-solving skills may reflect social anxiety and/or “ theory of mind ” impairment. These factors may explain the lack of association among healthy subjects. The results support the inclusion of cognitive remediation programs designed to enhance social skills for patients where a cognitive deficit is clearly ascertained.

Extensions of Errorless Learning for Social Problem-Solving Deficits in Schizophrenia

There is a clear need to develop psychosocial rehabilitation methods that compensate for neurocognitive deficits common to persons with severe and persistent mental illness. Errorless learning, a compensatory training intervention, has been successful in teaching entry-level job tasks. However, errorless learning's applicability to broader, more complex functions is unknown. The present study tested the extension of errorless learning for deficits in social problem-solving skills in patients with schizophrenia. Sixty clinically stable outpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were stratified by gender and level of memory impairment before being randomly assigned to one of two training programs: errorless learning or symptom management. Groups were matched for training time, format and structure of training, and types of teaching aids used. Social problem-solving ability, measured by the Assessment of Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills, was assessed at baseline, within 2 days of training completion, and after 3 months. Dependent measures were the scores for the receiving, processing, and sending skills areas from the Assessment of Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills. A repeated-measures analysis of covariance was conducted for each dependent measure with baseline Assessment of Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills score entered as a covariate. For all three skills, there was a significant training group effect favoring errorless learning. Durability of errorless learning training effects extended to the 3-month follow-up assessment for processing and sending skills but not receiving skills. Results support the extension of errorless learning to complex functions such as social problem-solving skills in the rehabilitation of persons with schizophrenia.

Social functioning in first- and multiepisode schizophrenia.

To compare the social functioning of individuals experiencing their first episodes of schizophrenia with those who have experienced multiple episodes and with nonpsychiatrically ill control subjects. Subjects included 40 patients with first-episode (FE) schizophrenia, 40 patients with multiepisode (ME) schizophrenia, and a control group of 40 nonpsychiatrically ill individuals. Three social-functioning measures were used: the Social Functioning Scale (SFS), the Quality of Life Scale (QOL), and the Assessment of Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills (AIPSS). Control subjects significantly outperformed FE and ME participants on all social-functioning measures. FE and ME samples did not differ in their performance on the SFS and the AIPSS. On the QLS, ME participants outperformed FE participants. This study demonstrated that deficits in social functioning are present near the onset of schizophrenia.

Neurocognitive and social functioning in schizophrenia: a 2.5 year follow-up study

In our previous study we demonstrated that, in 80 schizophrenia subjects, verbal ability, verbal memory and executive functioning were significantly associated with social problem solving. The objective of this present study was to assess the longitudinal stability of the relationship between social and neurocognitive functioning in schizophrenia. This 2.5 year longitudinal cohort study re-assessed community functioning, social problem solving and symptoms in 65 of the 80 original subjects to determine the predictive ability of neurocognitive functioning. Neurocognition was not re-assessed at this follow-up. Positive and negative symptoms were assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Social functioning was assessed using the Social Functioning Scale, the Quality of Life Scale, and the Assessment of Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills (AIPSS). Verbal ability, verbal memory and vigilance were significant predictors of social problem solving as assessed by the AIPSS. Results suggest that the association between neurocognition and social functioning remains consistent over time.

Neurocognitive and social functioning in schizophrenia.

This cross-sectional study examined the relationships between neurocognitive and social functioning in a sample of 80 outpatients with DSM-III-R schizophrenia. The neurocognitive battery included measures of verbal ability, verbal memory, visual memory, executive functioning, visual-spatial organization, vigilance, and early information processing. Positive and negative symptoms were assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. A range of social behaviors were assessed using the Social Functioning Scale (SFS), the Quality of Life Scale (QLS), and a video-based test, the Assessment of Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills (AIPSS). Social functioning as assessed by the SFS was unrelated to neurocognitive functioning. Poor cognitive flexibility was associated with low scores on the QLS and the AIPSS. Verbal ability and verbal memory were also significantly associated with the AIPSS. Visual-spatial ability and vigilance were associated with the sending skills subscale of the AIPSS. In this study, which used a wide range of neurocognitive tests and measures of community functioning and social problem solving, results support earlier research that suggests an association between certain aspects of neurocognitive functioning and social functioning.

Effects of cognitive treatment in psychiatric rehabilitation.

Ninety subjects with severe and disabling psychiatric conditions, predominantly schizophrenia, participated in a controlled-outcome trial of the cognitive component of Integrated Psychological Therapy (IPT), a group-therapy modality intended to reestablish basic neurocognitive functions. The cognitive therapy was delivered to subjects in the experimental condition during intensive 6-month treatment periods. Control subjects received supportive group therapy. Before, during, and after the intensive treatment period, all subjects received an enriched regimen of comprehensive psychiatric rehabilitation, including social and living skills training, optimal pharmacotherapy, occupational therapy, and milieu-based behavioral treatment. IPT subjects showed incrementally greater gains compared with controls on the primary outcome measure, the Assessment of Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills, suggesting that procedures that target cognitive impairments of schizophrenia spectrum disorders can enhance patients' response to standard psychiatric rehabilitation, at least in the short term, in the domain of social competence. There was equivocal evidence for greater improvement in the experimental condition on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale disorganization factor and strong evidence for greater improvement on a laboratory measure of attentional processing. There was significant improvement in both conditions on measures of attention, memory, and executive functioning, providing support for the hypothesis that therapeutic procedures that target impaired cognition enhance response to conventional psychiatric rehabilitation modalities over a 6-month timeframe.

Relationship between cognitive and social dysfunction in schizophrenia

This cross-sectional study examined the relationships between cognitive functioning, social functioning, and social problem solving in a sample of 30 outpatients with schizophrenia. The cognitive battery included measures of verbal ability, memory, executive functioning, visual-spatial ability, and attention. Social functioning was assessed with the Social Dysfunction Index (SDI) and the Social Adjustment Scale-II (SAS-II). Social problem solving was assessed with a video-based test, the Assessment of Interpersonal Problem-solving Skills (AIPSS). No significant association was found between social functioning as assessed by the SDI and the SAS-II and cognitive functioning. In multiple regression analyses, a measure of attention, the auditory Continuous Performance Test was a significant predictor of processing and sending skills, as assessed by the AIPSS ( F=16.37, 9.23, p<0.001).

Training interpersonal problem-solving skills in French-speaking Switzerland

Summary The instrument, Assessment of Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills (AIPSS), and the rehabilitation intervention, Training in Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills (TIPSS), which were developed at UCLA in the USA, were adapted for a French-speaking cultural setting in Geneva, Switzerland. Pilot studies replicated the original USA findings on the AIPSS and the TIPSS. These methods were practicable with French-speaking patients and fit readily into a French cultural setting with little adaptation.

Assessment of Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills

A new instrument for assessing social skills of schizophrenic patients, Assessment of Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills (AIPSS), is a videotaped-based test with an examiner's administration and scoring manual. The test measures an examinee's ability to describe an interpersonal social problem, to derive a solution to the problem, and to enact a solution in a role-played simulation test. In a study using a sample of schizophrenic outpatients and a comparison group of nonpatients, we found that the test had adequate psychometric properties, and the patients demonstrated deficits on all scales relative to the nonpatients. The results of the study also provided partial support for the validity of an information-processing model of social skills, which was used as a basis for constructing the AIPSS. Thus, the AIPSS represents a departure from previous methods of assessing social skills.

Social Skills and Relapse History in Outpatient Schizophrenics

Persons with schizophrenia commonly have impaired social functioning (Wallace 1984). Those with greater impairments, particularly as measured by premorbid social attainment, have a poorer clinical prognosis (Strauss and Carpenter 1972). Interventions designed to improve social competence, such as social skills training, have yielded generalizable and durable effects and may have reduced relapse rates (Wallace and Liberman 1985; Liberman et al. 1986; Hogarty et al. 1986). Thus, a valid measure of social skills should be a useful clinical and research tool. This research explores the validity of a new instrument for measuring such skills, the Assessment of Interpersonal Problem Solving Skills (AIPSS) (Donahoe et al., this issue). The AIPSS differs from more conventional social functioning measures because it 1) utilizes observations of role-playing, rather than self-report or third-party report; 2) provides a rating of the patient's current rather than past functioning; 3) involves videotaped simulated "real life" situations that pose challenges to the patient's ability to solve socially relevant problems; 4) permits assessment of patient's social perception, processing of social information for action planning, and verbal and nonverbal social responses. In this study, we examined the relationship between these parameters of schizophrenic patients' social functioning and their recent relapse history.