Social cognition interventions for persons with schizophrenia: evidence and clinical practice guidelines

Abstract

Although most of the research conducted up to now has shown that interventions in social cognition are effective in the rehabilitation of persons with schizophrenia, there are still no clinical practice recommendations on the topic. Their development could facilitate the clinical work, resource management and the care provided to persons with such a disorder. This article addresses this need and performs a systematic review of the identified high-quality scientific evidence and develops clinical practice recommendations. A total of 40 clinical trials and 1 meta-analysis evaluating the effects of social cognition interventions for persons with schizophrenia were selected for the present study. Taking into account the evidence available and its quality, the authors developed three clinical practice recommendations on the positive effects of these interventions. The analysis of the evidence of the quality of the studies shows that more randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes and longer follow-ups are needed in order to establish more accurately the efficacy and effectiveness of social cognition interventions and therefore to favor the generalization of the results.