The Effects of Executive Functions and Social Cognition on Mental Health
NCT ID: NCT06213194
Last Updated: 2025-03-17
Study Results
Outcome measurements, participant flow, baseline characteristics, and adverse events have been published for this study.
View full resultsBasic Information
Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.
COMPLETED
NA
178 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2024-05-20
2024-10-21
Brief Summary
Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.
Therefore, four main hypotheses will be addressed:
1. Revealing the mediating role of executive functions (cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, and working memory) will help predict the association between autistic traits and mental health symptoms (anxiety, depression, and stress).
2. Revealing the mediating role of social cognitive skills (cognitive empathy and affective empathy) will help predict the association between autistic traits and mental health symptoms (anxiety, depression, and stress).
3. Online training in executive functions and social cognitive skills will help develop executive functions (working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility) and social cognitive skills (cognitive empathy and affective empathy) in the current sample.
4. Online training in executive functions and social cognitive skills will promote mental health by reducing distress, depression, and anxiety symptoms in the current sample.
Participants will be between the ages of 18-35 because previous findings indicate that the age of onset of various mental health problems is between the ages of 17 and 35. Participants will be randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. Using a longitudinal design including pre-test, post-test, and follow-up conditions to test the effectiveness of combined EFs and social cognition online training for mental health symptoms.
Related Clinical Trials
Explore similar clinical trials based on study characteristics and research focus.
An Intervention Targeting Daily Adaptive Skills Through Executive Function Training for Adults With ASD
NCT04418492
Development and Pilot Testing of a Novel Preschool Executive Function Curriculum
NCT05135728
Teaching Academic Success Skills to Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders in Clinical Setting
NCT03606343
Physical Exercise Training to Enhance Executive and Social Functions
NCT04896671
Adaptation and Implementation of an ASD Executive Functioning Intervention in Children's Mental Health Services
NCT04295512
Detailed Description
Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.
Previous research indicated that social cognitive skills such as cognitive and affective empathy and executive functions including working memory, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility play important roles in physical and mental health, quality of life, social competence, school and job success, marital harmony, and public safety. Nevertheless, although autistic traits increase susceptibility to other mental health conditions, no study so far has focused on examining the relationships among autistic traits, executive functions, and social cognitive skills to design intervention and prevention programs for mental health conditions and quality of life in both general and clinical populations.
The primary purpose of the research is to investigate the effects of executive functions and social cognitive skills on the relationship between autistic traits and mental health symptoms that would be significant for designing intervention and prevention programs. The second purpose of the research is to design online executive functions and social cognitive training that might help to reduce vulnerability to negative effects on mental health symptoms in the general population regarding elevated autistic traits.
Using a longitudinal design including pre-test, post-test, and follow-up conditions to test the effectiveness of combined executive functions (EFs) and social cognition online training via computers, tablets, or smartphones for mental health symptoms (depression, anxiety, and stress). This study's independent variables are executive functions (cognitive flexibility, inhibition, and working memory) and social cognition (cognitive empathy and affective empathy). Dependent variables are mental health scores (depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms). Participants will be between the ages of 18 and 35 because previous findings indicate that the age of onset of various mental health problems is between the ages of 17 and 35. Participants will be randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. Online-based training will consist of combined executive functions and social cognitive (i.e., cognitive empathy and affective empathy) tasks. The length of the training each week will be 75 minutes based on the previous studies. Three within conditions will be present: pre-test, post-test, and follow-up. The primary outcomes of the study are mental health symptoms (anxiety, depression, stress), EFs (working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibition), and social cognition (cognitive and affective empathy).
Conditions
See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.
Study Design
Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.
RANDOMIZED
PARALLEL
TREATMENT
SINGLE
Study Groups
Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.
Experimental Group
It combines social cognitive and executive functions skills and it will be present on the designed website and they will participate in the intervention online. After participants are assigned the experimental group the 6-week training program will start and they cannot access the next week before completing the previous week. Each week's will last about 75 minutes. The training includes social cognitive skills including cognitive and affective empathy and executive functions.
MindZone
The name of the online training will be MindZone. It consists of combined game-based social cognitive and executive functions skills, and it will be presented on the training website. There is no consensus about the length of time for the training in the literature, so the average time for the training process will be used. This means that the training will last 6 weeks, 7.5 hours in total. To satisfy the training requirement, 1.15 hours (75 mins) of play will be expected from participants each week. Before each game, a brief introduction about the game will be presented and participants will get feedback about their progress. Each participant will conduct the tasks in a different random order. After 6 weeks, a post-test will be completed, and follow-up scores will be obtained after a month. All tasks were designed according to the five intervention areas: working memory, cognitive flexibility, inhibition, cognitive empathy and affective empathy based on the literature.
Control Group
This group will not take the training until the follow-up test. After the study will be done, the training program will be offered to the control group as well.
No interventions assigned to this group
Interventions
Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.
MindZone
The name of the online training will be MindZone. It consists of combined game-based social cognitive and executive functions skills, and it will be presented on the training website. There is no consensus about the length of time for the training in the literature, so the average time for the training process will be used. This means that the training will last 6 weeks, 7.5 hours in total. To satisfy the training requirement, 1.15 hours (75 mins) of play will be expected from participants each week. Before each game, a brief introduction about the game will be presented and participants will get feedback about their progress. Each participant will conduct the tasks in a different random order. After 6 weeks, a post-test will be completed, and follow-up scores will be obtained after a month. All tasks were designed according to the five intervention areas: working memory, cognitive flexibility, inhibition, cognitive empathy and affective empathy based on the literature.
Eligibility Criteria
Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.
Inclusion Criteria
2. Fluent in writing and speaking in Turkish
3. No record of any psychiatric disorders
4. No record of neurological conditions
Exclusion Criteria
2. Have any record of psychiatric
3. Have any neurological conditions
18 Years
40 Years
ALL
Yes
Sponsors
Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.
Ibn Haldun University
OTHER
Responsible Party
Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.
Dilruba Sönmez
Clinical Psychologist
Principal Investigators
Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.
Dilruba Sönmez, MA
Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
Ibn Haldun University
Locations
Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.
Dilruba Sönmez
Istanbul, Basaksehir, Turkey (Türkiye)
Countries
Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.
References
Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.
Sonmez D, Jordan TR. Investigating associations between cognitive empathy, affective empathy and anxiety in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Int J Dev Disabil. 2023 Jan 9;70(5):957-965. doi: 10.1080/20473869.2022.2163605. eCollection 2024.
Albantakis L, Brandi ML, Zillekens IC, Henco L, Weindel L, Thaler H, Schliephake L, Timmermans B, Schilbach L. Alexithymic and autistic traits: Relevance for comorbid depression and social phobia in adults with and without autism spectrum disorder. Autism. 2020 Nov;24(8):2046-2056. doi: 10.1177/1362361320936024. Epub 2020 Jul 14.
Baron-Cohen S. The extreme male brain theory of autism. Trends Cogn Sci. 2002 Jun 1;6(6):248-254. doi: 10.1016/s1364-6613(02)01904-6.
Craig F, Margari F, Legrottaglie AR, Palumbi R, de Giambattista C, Margari L. A review of executive function deficits in autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2016 May 12;12:1191-202. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S104620. eCollection 2016.
Dell'Osso L, Carpita B, Muti D, Morelli V, Salarpi G, Salerni A, Scotto J, Massimetti G, Gesi C, Ballerio M, Signorelli MS, Luciano M, Politi P, Aguglia E, Carmassi C, Maj M. Mood symptoms and suicidality across the autism spectrum. Compr Psychiatry. 2019 May;91:34-38. doi: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2019.03.004. Epub 2019 Apr 3.
de Vries M, Prins PJ, Schmand BA, Geurts HM. Working memory and cognitive flexibility-training for children with an autism spectrum disorder: a randomized controlled trial. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2015 May;56(5):566-76. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.12324. Epub 2014 Sep 26.
Diamond A. Executive functions. Annu Rev Psychol. 2013;64:135-68. doi: 10.1146/annurev-psych-113011-143750. Epub 2012 Sep 27.
Fietz J, Valencia N, Silani G. Alexithymia and autistic traits as possible predictors for traits related to depression, anxiety, and stress: A multivariate statistical approach. J Eval Clin Pract. 2018 Aug;24(4):901-908. doi: 10.1111/jep.12961. Epub 2018 Jun 8.
Gambin M, Sharp C. Relations between empathy and anxiety dimensions in inpatient adolescents. Anxiety Stress Coping. 2018 Jul;31(4):447-458. doi: 10.1080/10615806.2018.1475868. Epub 2018 May 17.
Gardiner E, Iarocci G. Everyday executive function predicts adaptive and internalizing behavior among children with and without autism spectrum disorder. Autism Res. 2018 Feb;11(2):284-295. doi: 10.1002/aur.1877. Epub 2017 Sep 27.
Gokcen E, Frederickson N, Petrides KV. Theory of Mind and Executive Control Deficits in Typically Developing Adults and Adolescents with High Levels of Autism Traits. J Autism Dev Disord. 2016 Jun;46(6):2072-2087. doi: 10.1007/s10803-016-2735-3.
Lundstrom S, Chang Z, Kerekes N, Gumpert CH, Rastam M, Gillberg C, Lichtenstein P, Anckarsater H. Autistic-like traits and their association with mental health problems in two nationwide twin cohorts of children and adults. Psychol Med. 2011 Nov;41(11):2423-33. doi: 10.1017/S0033291711000377. Epub 2011 Mar 22.
Mason D, Happe F. The role of alexithymia and autistic traits in predicting quality of life in an online sample. Res Autism Spectr Disord. 2022 Feb;90:None. doi: 10.1016/j.rasd.2021.101887.
Nahum M, Lee H, Fisher M, Green MF, Hooker CI, Ventura J, Jordan JT, Rose A, Kim SJ, Haut KM, Merzenich MM, Vinogradov S. Online Social Cognition Training in Schizophrenia: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Multi-Site Clinical Trial. Schizophr Bull. 2021 Jan 23;47(1):108-117. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbaa085.
Sandgreen H, Frederiksen LH, Bilenberg N. Digital Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Meta-analysis. J Autism Dev Disord. 2021 Sep;51(9):3138-3152. doi: 10.1007/s10803-020-04778-9. Epub 2020 Nov 10.
Sari BA, Koster EH, Pourtois G, Derakshan N. Training working memory to improve attentional control in anxiety: A proof-of-principle study using behavioral and electrophysiological measures. Biol Psychol. 2016 Dec;121(Pt B):203-212. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2015.09.008. Epub 2015 Sep 25.
Zelazo PD. Executive Function and Psychopathology: A Neurodevelopmental Perspective. Annu Rev Clin Psychol. 2020 May 7;16:431-454. doi: 10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-072319-024242. Epub 2020 Feb 19.
Allemand M, Steiger AE, Fend HA. Empathy development in adolescence predicts social competencies in adulthood. J Pers. 2015 Apr;83(2):229-41. doi: 10.1111/jopy.12098. Epub 2014 May 4.
Eussen ML, Van Gool AR, Verheij F, De Nijs PF, Verhulst FC, Greaves-Lord K. The association of quality of social relations, symptom severity and intelligence with anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorders. Autism. 2013 Nov;17(6):723-35. doi: 10.1177/1362361312453882. Epub 2012 Aug 23.
Solmi M, Radua J, Olivola M, Croce E, Soardo L, Salazar de Pablo G, Il Shin J, Kirkbride JB, Jones P, Kim JH, Kim JY, Carvalho AF, Seeman MV, Correll CU, Fusar-Poli P. Age at onset of mental disorders worldwide: large-scale meta-analysis of 192 epidemiological studies. Mol Psychiatry. 2022 Jan;27(1):281-295. doi: 10.1038/s41380-021-01161-7. Epub 2021 Jun 2.
Provided Documents
Download supplemental materials such as informed consent forms, study protocols, or participant manuals.
Document Type: Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan
Other Identifiers
Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.
2023/07-03
Identifier Type: -
Identifier Source: org_study_id
More Related Trials
Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.