Navigating Social Cognitive Impairments in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: Protocol for a Pilot Pre-Post...

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Neuroscience
• Rehabilitation

Background:

• Social cognitive impairments are common in schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) and hinder daily functioning.
• Cognitive remediation (CR) improves social cognition but faces challenges in skill transfer and personalization.
• RC2S is a French CR program combining strategy learning and digital simulations, originally designed for in-person delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To culturally adapt the RC2S program for North American contexts (English and French-Canadian).
• To assess the feasibility, acceptability, safety, and implementation of a remote version of RC2S for individuals with SSD.
• To explore the preliminary effects of remote RC2S on goal attainment, social cognition, and psychosocial outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A pre-post quasi-experimental design was used.
• The RC2S program underwent translation and cultural adaptation.
• Twenty participants with SSD and 5 therapists received remote RC2S sessions, with assessments before and after the intervention.

Main Results:

• 45% of participants with SSD (9/20) and 5 therapists completed the study.
• Participants received a mean of 20.5 out of 24 biweekly sessions.
• Data on acceptability, feasibility, safety, and implementation were collected.

Conclusions:

• Improving social cognition is crucial for functional recovery in SSD.
• Digital delivery of CR interventions like remote RC2S can enhance ecological validity and accessibility.
• The remote adaptation of RC2S is a promising approach for managing social cognitive deficits in SSD.