Effects of a neuropsychological rehabilitation programme on schizophrenic patients' subjective perception of improvement

Abstract

Cognitive and neuropsychological deficits have long been recognised as part of the schizophrenic syndrome. As these deficits persist after acute psychosis subsides and contribute to the social and occupational difficulties often experienced by individuals with schizophrenia, researchers have begun to consider the applicability of neuropsychological rehabilitation techniques to the treatment of schizophrenic neuropsychological deficits. Although the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation programmes in schizophrenia has been addressed, no attention has been afforded to whether the trained patient perceives improvement of the cognitive processes instructed.

The present study utilised a treatment versus control group comparison design to evaluate the effect of a neuropsychological rehabilitation programme on the perception of improvement both in schizophrenic patients and their therapists. Twenty-four participants diagnosed with schizophrenia participated in the study. One half of the sample was trained by means of Attention Process Training (APT) and the rest of the patients comprised the control group. No significant differences in perception of improvement were found between treatment and control group, and trained patients found the APT more useful than did their therapists.

Acknowledgments

This project was supported by a grant from the Ministry of Education and Science to the first author and a grant from the Autonomous Community of Madrid (Ayuda de Investigación del Plan Regional de Investigación [Research Aid of the Regional Research Plan]) to the second author. We would also like to thank the Psychosocial Rehabilitation Centres (CRPS) Retiro, Martínez Campos, and Cármenes, and the AMAFE association for their continuous support and collaboration.