Adoption and dissemination of social skills training in Japan: a decade of experience (1988-1997)

Abstract

Psychiatric rehabilitation has been slow to develop in Japan, in part because of traditional stigma against community-based treatment of the seriously mentally ill and a prevailing biological approach to schizophrenia. In the past decade, however, rehabilitation methods have been introduced, spearheaded by social skills training. The rapid dissemination of social skills training in Japan has been promoted by the publication of a national newsletter, the development of a Japanese Social Skills Training Association, reimbursement of social skills training by the national health insurance, and an active schedule of workshops, seminars, lectures and training programs. Research on social skills training has paralleled its development as a clinical modality. When skills training has been delivered with fidelity, it has been possible to measure the acquisition of skills by persons with schizophrenia. A role-play test has been validated after its cultural adaptation to Japan and correlations have been found between scores on the social skills role-play test and cognitive functioning of persons with schizophrenia, lending credence to the hypothesis that neurocognitive dysfunction may play a role in social and occupational adjustment of persons with schizophrenia.