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Cognitive predictors of skill acquisition on social problem solving in patients with schizophrenia

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Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between social problem solving ability, clinical features and cognitive functions, and determine the predictors of benefit from social problem solving training in 63 patients with schizophrenia. We administered Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Digit Span Test, Continuous Performance Test (CPT) and the Assessment of Interpersonal Problem Solving Skills (AIPSS). Only BPRS-positive symptoms subscale was negatively related to AIPSS on linear regression analysis. After the completion of the pretest, the patients were randomized to either problem solving training (n = 32) or control groups (n = 31). Patients in training group received 6 weeks problem solving training in-group modality, and those in control group were treated as usual. We readministered AIPSS at the end of 6 weeks. There were significant changes from pretest to posttest on AIPSS-total, AIPSS-receiving skills, and AIPSS-processing skills score in training group but not in control group. The number of correct answers in WCST and CPT hit rate were the predictors of post-training AIPSS scores in training group. Our findings suggest that skill acquisition on social problem solving is related with cognitive flexibility and sustained attention.

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Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the Research Fund of The University of Istanbul, Project number: 187/15012004.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Istanbul Medical Faculty, Millet street, Capa, 34390, Istanbul, Turkey

    Alp Üçok MD, Sibel Çakır MD, Aysun Dişcigil MD, Pinar Kandemir MD & Hatice Atlı

  2. 9 Eylul University, School of Nursing, Izmir, Turkey

    Zekiye Çetinkaya Duman PhD

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  1. Alp Üçok MD
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  2. Sibel Çakır MD
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  3. Zekiye Çetinkaya Duman PhD
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  4. Aysun Dişcigil MD
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Correspondence to Alp Üçok MD.

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Üçok, A., Çakır, S., Duman, Z.Ç. et al. Cognitive predictors of skill acquisition on social problem solving in patients with schizophrenia. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 256, 388–394 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-006-0651-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-006-0651-9

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