Effectiveness of IADL interventions to improve functioning in persons with Schizophrenia: A systematic review

Instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) are activities that are needed to live an independent life. Psychotic disorders are associated with deficits in everyday functioning, causing impairment/disability in activities of daily living. Activities play a crucial role to measure functional health or disability. People with Schizophrenia often present difficulties in social and occupational reintegration that may be associated with problems in performing daily activities, including independent living, education, working, and socializing. Activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living (life skills training) including leisure and social skills training intended to reintegrate the patient into the community to lead an everyday life.

The aim of this review was to identify the effect of skill-based interventions on independent functioning in persons with Schizophrenia.

The authors conducted database searches of Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, ProQuest, EBSCO from 1st January 1992 to 31st December 2020. The researcher extracted data, and the quality of included studies was rated by two authors independently. We used the Cochrane Risk of Bias (ROB) tool for assessing the quality of selected studies. The search identified nine studies that met the inclusion criteria with 655 participants. The outcome measure was independent functioning skills.

The interventions in the review were multifaceted with different combinations of psychoeducation, cognitive-behavioral methods, training in social skills, and IADL. The interventions resulted in significant improvement in functioning skills and reduction in relapse rates.

Results of this review have revealed moderate to strong evidence for skills training, either behavioral or social skills to improve social and independent functioning, reduce caregiver burden, and improve negative symptoms. The review also supported that interventions could be generalized across settings.