Cognitive behavioral therapy for social activation in recent-onset psychosis: Randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: Negative symptoms largely account for poor outcome in psychotic disorders but remain difficult to treat. A cognitive-behavioral approach to these symptoms showed promise in chronic schizophrenia patients. We explored whether a combination of group and individual treatment focused on social activation (CBTsa) could benefit patients recently diagnosed with a psychotic disorder. METHOD: A single-blind randomized controlled trial enrolled 99 participants recently diagnosed with schizophrenia or a related disorder that received treatment as usual (TAU; n = 50), or TAU plus CBTsa (n = 49). Negative symptoms (Brief Negative Symptom Scale) and social withdrawal (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale) were primary outcomes. Secondary outcome measures included dysfunctional beliefs (Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale-Defeatist Performance Attitude), stigma Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale (ISMIS), and symptom severity and functioning as measured with the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF). Outcomes were compared directly posttreatment and at follow-up (6 months posttreatment). RESULTS: Intention-to-treat analyses showed significant improvement in GAF symptoms (p = .02, d = 0.36) and a decrease in negative symptoms on trend level (p = .08, d = -0.29) in CBTsa compared to TAU at posttreatment. These group differences were no longer apparent at 6 months follow-up. Social withdrawal and negative symptoms improved over time in both conditions. CONCLUSIONS: The current trial showed small positive effects on symptom severity posttreatment but did not demonstrate maintenance of longer-term effects in favor of the CBTsa group. Findings suggest that the treatment duration may have been too short to change dysfunctional beliefs, a potentially important maintaining factor of negative symptom severity. Longer intervention periods in later, more stable stages of the illness when intensive standard treatment has tapered off may yield more beneficial effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Economic evaluation of brief cognitive behavioural therapy for social activation in recent-onset psychosis.

BACKGROUND: In schizophrenia spectrum disorders, negative symptoms (e.g. social withdrawal) may persist after initial treatment with antipsychotics, much affecting the quality of life (QOL) of patients. This health-economic study evaluated if a dedicated form of cognitive behaviour therapy for social activation (CBTsa) would reduce negative symptoms and improve QOL in an economically sustainable way. METHODS: A health-economic evaluation was conducted alongside a single-blind randomised controlled trial in two parallel groups: guideline congruent treatment as usual (TAU; n = 50) versus TAU augmented with adjunct CBTsa (n = 49). Outcomes were PANSS negative symptom severity and EQ-5D quality adjusted life years (QALYs) gained. The health-economic evaluation was conducted both from the societal and the health sector perspective. RESULTS: Both conditions showed improvement in the respective outcomes over the follow-up period of six months, but QALY gains were significantly higher in the CBTsa condition compared to the TAU condition. Treatment response rate (i.e. ≥ 5-point decrease on the PANSS) was not significantly different. However, the add-on CBT intervention was associated with higher costs. This did not support the idea that CBTsa is a cost-effective adjunct. Various sensitivity analyses attested to the robustness of these findings. CONCLUSIONS: In the Dutch context where TAU for psychosis is guideline congruent and well implemented there appears no added value for adjunct CBTsa. In other settings where the treatment for the schizophrenia spectrum disorders solely relies on antipsychotics, add-on CBTsa may lead to clinically superior outcomes, but it should still be evaluated if adjunct CBTsa therapy is a cost-effective alternative. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov registry under NCT03217955.

Metacognitive training in patients recovering from a first psychosis: an experience sampling study testing treatment effects.

Cognitive biases, negative affect and negative self-esteem are associated with paranoia in people with psychotic disorders. Metacognitive group training (MCT) aims to target these biases although research has shown mixed results. Our objective was to establish the effect of MCT on paranoid ideation in patients with recent onset psychosis in a powerful experience sampling design. 50 patients between the age of 18 and 35 were included in a single-blind, parallel group RCT comparing MCT with occupational therapy (OT) as an active control condition. We assessed via questionnaires and experience sampling treatment effects on paranoid ideation, delusional conviction, the cognitive bias jumping to conclusion (JTC), and cognitive insight, as well as treatment effects on associations between negative affect, negative self-esteem and paranoid ideation. Patients in the MCT group did not show a decrease in paranoid ideation, delusional conviction, JTC-bias or an increase in cognitive insight compared with OT. However, negative affect showed a weaker association with paranoid ideation post-treatment in the MCT condition. In the OT condition, this association was stronger post-treatment. We tentatively suggest that patients with an early psychosis seemed to benefit from MCT in emotional learning compared with the OT condition. Despite the fact that the group training is well-received by patients, subsequent individual MCT (MCT+) may be indicated for stronger favorable effects on paranoid ideation.

An experience sampling study on the ecological validity of the SWN-20: Indication that subjective well-being is associated with momentary affective states above and beyond psychosis susceptibility.

Subjective well-being (SWB) is associated with treatment adherence and symptom outcome in people with psychotic disorders. Also, it is associated with psychosis susceptibility and it is partly hereditable. The SWN-20 is a widely used tool to assess subjective well-being in patients; it was also found to be suitable for assessing SWB in healthy populations. Yet it is unclear how this retrospectively measured construct may be associated with momentary affective state, which is the proposed underlying mechanism of subjective well-being. This study therefore investigated the ecological validity of the SWN-20 in people at different risk for psychosis. In 63 patients with a psychotic disorder and 61 siblings of patients with a psychotic disorder we assessed whether subjective well-being as measured with the SWN-20, was associated with momentary positive affect, negative affect, reward experience and stress-sensitivity as measured by the experience sample method (ESM). Higher subjective well-being was associated with higher momentary positive affect and lower negative affect, and this association was not conditional on psychosis vulnerability. Subjective well-being was not associated with stress-sensitivity or reward-experience. SWN-20 is an easy-to-use and ecologically valid tool to measure subjective well-being in people with different vulnerability for psychosis.

The effect of childhood trauma and Five-Factor Model personality traits on exposure to adult life events in patients with psychotic disorders.

INTRODUCTION: Recent life events are associated with transition to and outcome in psychosis. Childhood trauma and personality characteristics play a role in proneness to adult life events. However, little is known about the relative contribution and interrelatedness of these characteristics in psychotic disorders. Therefore, we investigated whether Five-Factor Model (FFM) personality traits and childhood trauma (abuse and neglect) predict adult life events, and whether the effect of childhood trauma on life events is mediated by personality traits. METHOD: One hundred and sixty-three patients with psychotic disorders were assessed at baseline on history of childhood maltreatment and FFM personality traits, and on recent life events at 3-year follow-up. RESULTS: Childhood abuse is associated with negative life events, and part of the effect of childhood abuse on negative life events is mediated by openness to experience. Openness to experience and extraversion are associated with more positive and negative life events. Childhood neglect and lower extraversion are related to experiencing less positive events. CONCLUSION: The association between childhood trauma and recent life events is partly mediated by personality. Future research could focus on mechanisms leading to positive life events, as positive life events may buffer against development of mental health problems.

Theory of Mind and attachment styles in people with psychotic disorders, their siblings, and controls.

OBJECTIVE: Impaired Theory of Mind (ToM) and insecure (adult) attachment styles have been found in persons with schizophrenia as well as in their healthy siblings. ToM refers to the ability to infer mental states of self and others including beliefs and emotions. Insecure attachment is proposed to underlie impaired ToM, and comprises avoidant (discomfort with close relationships, high value of autonomy) and anxious (separation anxiety, dependency on others) attachment. Insight into the association between attachment style and ToM is clinically relevant, as it enhances our understanding and clinical approach to social dysfunction in schizophrenia. Therefore, we studied the association between insecure attachment styles and ToM in patients with schizophrenia, their siblings, and healthy controls. METHODS: A total of 111 patients with a diagnosis in the schizophrenia spectrum, 106 non-affected siblings and 63 controls completed the Psychosis Attachment Measure, the Conflicting Beliefs and Emotions, a subsection of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form. Severity of symptoms was assessed with the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. RESULTS: After controlling for sex, intelligence, history of trauma and symptom severity, avoidant attachment was significantly associated with cognitive as well as with affective ToM, showing U-shaped associations, indicating better ToM performance for patients with lower or higher levels of avoidant attachment compared to medium levels. Anxious attachment in patients was associated with more problems in cognitive ToM. CONCLUSION: The results from this study support the idea that an anxious attachment style is associated with worse ToM performance in patients. Results also suggested a potential protective role of higher levels of avoidant attachment on ToM. These findings bear clinical relevance, as activation of (insecure) attachment mechanisms may affect interpersonal relations, as well as therapeutic working alliance. Further clarification is needed, especially on associations between ToM and avoidant attachment.