Master mind: A compensatory cognitive training for psychopathology-related cognitive deficits: Impact on proactive...

Cognitive deficits are prevalent across various mental health disorders. Compensatory cognitive training learns individuals how to manage and compensate for these deficits in daily life. Since few integrative compensatory cognitive training programs in mental health care treatment are available, Master Mind was developed. The acceptability and feasibility of the intervention in a transdiagnostic sample of patients with predominantly severe mental illness were studied, and an initial exploration of its effects on proactive coping and quality of life was conducted.

To measure the acceptability of the training, Session Rating Scales were completed by the participants. Next, the impact on proactive coping behavior and daily life satisfaction over time was studied. Also the relation between the level of proactive coping and cognitive resources was tested with linear mixed models.

Forty-four patients (age ranging from 22 to 68 years) with severe mental illness (affective and psychotic disorders) as well as developmental disorders participated. Present findings suggest a good acceptability of the compensatory cognitive training given the positive participant evaluation. Thirty-three participants completed both the baseline and posttraining measure, and 18 participants completed the follow-up measure. Preliminary results showed a significant improvement in proactive coping level from baseline to posttraining. Cognitive processing capacities were not found to be related to proactive coping. Proactive coping was found to predict an increase in daily life satisfaction at 4-month follow-up.

Master Mind shows good acceptability in a transdiagnostic sample. The intervention may enhance proactive coping, regardless of the quality of actual cognitive resources. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).