NCT01055509

Compensatory Strategies Applied to Cognitive Impairment in Schizophrenia

Effectiveness of Cognitive Adaptation Training Applied to Cognitive Impairment in Schizophrenia - A Randomised Trial

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 65 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Southern Denmark · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 70 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether Cognitive Adaptation Training are effective in comparison with conventional treatment, focusing on social functions, symptoms, relapse, re-hospitalisation, and quality of life in outpatients with schizophrenia.

Detailed description

It is estimated that approximately 80% of patients with schizophrenia have reduced cognitive functions, representing problems with attention, verbal memory, short-term memory and executive functions (1-3). These impairments might have an impact on the patients ability to complete rehabilitation programmes, apply learned strategies to social problems, develop work skills and manage daily life (4,5). The effect of Cognitive Adaptation Training has been tested as a psychosocial treatment including training of compensatory strategies in order to sequence patient's adaptive behaviour, showing promising results concerning improved social functions (6). There are however no solid evidence for these statements. The existing few studies investigating the effect of Cognitive Adaptation Training (6-8) are underpowered (small sample sizes) and have a lack of younger patients, which limits the conclusions that can be drawn from the results of the improvement. The present trial employs a prospective design of 26 weeks with a follow-up period of 9 months after inclusion. The study will enroll 164 consecutively recruited participants from three Danish out-patient teams for young adults with a first episode of psychosis.

Conditions

• Schizophrenia

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Cognitive Adaptation Training	All patients receive treatment as usual. Additionally, patients in the intervention arm receives training concerning solving concrete problems related to the patient's daily life using tools such as schedules, schemes and signs. Additional the patient can receive SMS messages or instructions for the use of schedules in cell-phones to prompt for activities. The intervention is conducted in the patients homes every 14th day in a period of six months.

Timeline

• Start date: 2009-01-01
• Primary completion: 2011-04-01
• Completion: 2011-08-01
• First posted: 2010-01-25
• Last updated: 2013-06-28

Locations

3 sites across 1 country: Denmark