Attention Shaping Procedures for Improving Psychosocial Skills Among Adults With Schizophrenia

NCT ID: NCT00391677

Last Updated: 2012-09-28

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

120 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2007-01-31

Study Completion Date

2011-06-30

Brief Summary

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This study will evaluate the effectiveness of attention shaping procedures in improving attentiveness and learning abilities in people undergoing psychosocial skills training treatment for schizophrenia.

Detailed Description

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Schizophrenia is a disabling mental disorder that can interfere with a person's ability to function both alone and in social situations. Various treatments have been effective in treating schizophrenia, including antipsychotic medications and cognitive therapy. Psychosocial skills training, a type of cognitive therapy, is often used to help people with schizophrenia cope with their condition and improve social functioning in day-to-day life. However, many individuals with schizophrenia experience difficulty paying attention, and this is a significant barrier to successful outcomes in psychosocial skills training interventions. Attention shaping procedures (ASP) is a behavioral intervention that helps individuals with impaired attention capacities to benefit from skills-based treatment. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of ASP in improving attentiveness and learning abilities in people undergoing psychosocial skills training treatment for schizophrenia.

Participants in this 5-month, single-blind study will be randomly assigned to ASP plus basic conversation skills training (BCS), which is a social skills training group, or BCS alone. Training sessions for both groups will be held when participants attend regular hospital visits. During the first month, participants will complete two sessions of interviews, self-report scales, and social and cognitive functional assessments. Over the next 3 months, training sessions for both groups will occur twice a week for approximately 1 hour. ASP sessions will focus on setting goals and increasing the quality and duration of participants' attentiveness during psychosocial interventions. BCS will train participants in the following five skill areas: recognizing verbal and non-verbal cues; starting a friendly conversation; keeping conversation going; ending a conversation politely; and incorporating all of these skills together. During the last month, participants will attend two interview sessions lasting approximately 4 hours each. One follow-up session will occur 6 months after completing the intervention.

Conditions

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Schizophrenia

Keywords

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Cognitive Rehabilitation Behavior Therapy

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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1

Participants will receive social skills training with attention shaping procedures

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Social skills training with attention shaping procedures

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Social skills training with attention shaping procedures includes behavioral procedures to increase the frequency, intensity, and duration of attentive behaviors and to reduce the frequency of inattentive behaviors.

2

Participants will receive social skills training without attention shaping procedures

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Social skills training without attention shaping

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Social skills training without attention shaping is based on the UCLA Basic Conversation Skills Training Module, used without attention shaping procedures.

Interventions

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Social skills training with attention shaping procedures

Social skills training with attention shaping procedures includes behavioral procedures to increase the frequency, intensity, and duration of attentive behaviors and to reduce the frequency of inattentive behaviors.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Social skills training without attention shaping

Social skills training without attention shaping is based on the UCLA Basic Conversation Skills Training Module, used without attention shaping procedures.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Diagnosis of schizophrenia, as confirmed by a diagnostic interview
* Has experienced difficulty paying attention while in groups during a treatment program, as determined by program staff
* Has experienced problems with social skills, as determined by program staff and study clinicians
* Social skill deficits, as determined by study clinicians

Exclusion Criteria

* Diagnosis of mental retardation (including borderline or mild mental retardation)
* Diagnosis of autism, Asperger's syndrome, or another childhood disorder involving learning or relating to other people
* History of a neurological disorder, including epilepsy, traumatic brain injury with loss of consciousness, coma, stroke, Parkinson's disease, etc.
* Diagnosis of active substance abuse (history of a substance abuse disorder without a current substance abuse problem will not be a criterion for exclusion)
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

55 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Steven M. Silverstein, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey

Locations

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University Behavioral HealthCare

Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, United States

Site Status

University Behavioral HealthCare

New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Silverstein SM, Hatashita-Wong M, Solak BA, Uhlhaas P, Landa Y, Wilkniss SM, Goicochea C, Carpiniello K, Schenkel LS, Savitz A, Smith TE. Effectiveness of a two-phase cognitive rehabilitation intervention for severely impaired schizophrenia patients. Psychol Med. 2005 Jun;35(6):829-37. doi: 10.1017/s0033291704003356.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 15997603 (View on PubMed)

Silverstein SM, Spaulding WD, Menditto AA, Savitz A, Liberman RP, Berten S, Starobin H. Attention shaping: a reward-based learning method to enhance skills training outcomes in schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull. 2009 Jan;35(1):222-32. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbm150. Epub 2008 Jan 22.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 18212327 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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R01MH074650

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

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DATR A2-A1SZ

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: secondary_id

R01MH074650

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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