Efficacy of cognitive pragmatic treatment on theory of mind functioning, quality of life and reduction of symptom severity in adults with schizophrenia

Abstract

Objective: Schizophrenia is a severely debilitating disorder characterized by heterogeneous psychopathology, it impacts an individual’s subjective well-being, pragmatic communication skills, and cognitive functioning. The primary aim of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive pragmatic treatment (CPT), an evidence-based group intervention program, on theory of mind (ToM) functioning, quality of life (QoL), and symptom severity of disorder in adults with schizophrenia.

Methods: One hundred individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia were chosen and randomly split into two groups, as control group (n=25) and experimental group (n=75). Experimental group received CPT for 3 months, while the control group got only routine psychiatric care. The individuals were assessed for symptom severity of the disorder, ToM functioning and QoL before and after the intervention. 3-months post-intervention, a follow-up evaluation was carried out. The data were analysed using both parametric as well as nonparametric statistics.

Results: The results of two-way Repeated Measure ANOVA found statistically significant differences between groups as well as tests (p<0.001) and between groups and their interaction with the tests (p<0.001). Experimental post-test as well as follow-up evaluation showed significant improvement in reducing the symptom severity of the disorder, improvement in ToM functioning and QoL compared to control group

Conclusion: The current study demonstrates that cognitive pragmatic treatment as evidence-based intervention can improve theory of mind functioning, as well as QoL of individuals with schizophrenia, by reducing the symptom severity.