Loading...
Exploration of Factors Associated with Treatment Completion in Cognitive Enhancement Therapy (CET)
Fielden, Calvary
Fielden, Calvary
An error occurred retrieving the object's statistics
Citations
Altmetric:
Abstract
Prior research has extensively examined differences between individuals who do and do not complete psychosocial interventions for schizophrenia, with findings primarily highlighting disparities in social support and clinical presentation. However, there is limited research exploring factors associated with treatment completion in cognitive remediation interventions. The present study explores differences between individuals who discontinued and those who completed CET. A total of 49 participants, predominantly male (81.6%), with a mean age of 43.43 years (SD = 13.04) and diagnosed with a Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder (SSD), were included in the analysis. Participants were invited to take part in CET as part of their participation in a psychosocial rehabilitation program offered at a community-based mental health center. Of the 49 participants, 24 completed the intervention and 25 discontinued early. Participants completed a comprehensive series of assessments at baseline, including measures of schizophrenia symptoms (Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms [SANS] and Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms [SAPS]), anxiety symptoms (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory [STAI] and Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale [LSAS]), and life satisfaction. A battery of neurocognitive measures assessing executive functioning, working memory, and processing speed was administered. A series of independent samples t-tests were conducted to examine differences between treatment completion groups in terms of clinical, social, and cognitive characteristics. No significant group differences were observed on negative symptoms (p = .117), nor positive symptoms (p = .256). Additionally, no significant group differences were observed on state, trait, and social anxiety (p= .763 - .963). When examining cognitive domains, no significant group differences were found on working memory (p = .09) and executive functioning (p= .08). However, a significant difference was observed in concentration performance as measured by the d2 test of attention: individuals who discontinued from the intervention (M = 58.68) exhibited significantly lower concentration performance at baseline compared to those who completed the intervention (M = 108.38), t (47) = -4.49, p < .001 - this comparison maintained significance when adjusted for multiple comparisons (Bonferroni corrected alpha level at 0.005). This study revealed no significant differences in clinical presentation between individuals who discontinue and completed CET. In contrast to findings from prior studies, there were no significant differences in negative or positive symptoms between the two groups. Life satisfaction did not differ between the two groups, which may be attributable to the recruitment methods and participants' overall engagement in treatment. Notably, concentration performance differed significantly between the two groups. Individuals who discontinued from the intervention had significantly lower baseline concentration performance compared to those who completed the intervention. These findings suggest that attentional demands associated with the intervention may contribute to treatment discontinuation. Further research is needed to investigate the role of concentration performance and attentional factors in decisions to disengage from cognitive remediation interventions.
Description
This poster was presented at Schizophrenia International Research Society on 03/31/2025.
Date
2025-03-31
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Kansas
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Keywords
Serious mental illness, Treatment engagement, Cognitive remediation therapy