Efficacy of ISST in Schizophrenia

Heinrich-Heine University, Duesseldorf177 enrolled

Overview

The ISST study investigates whether integrated social cognitive remediation and social behavioral skills therapy is more efficacious in improving functional outcome and treatment adherence than an active control treatment comprising drill-and-practice oriented neurocognitive remediation.

Deficits in social functioning are a defining, very burdening feature of schizophrenia precluding patients from participating in a satisfying life. Traditional drug and psychosocial therapy and available specific treatment strategies that directly target single key determinants of functional outcome like neurocognition, social cognition, and social behavioral skills have produced only moderate effects leaving an urgent need for further optimization. The present trial aims to more efficaciously improve functional outcome by integrating social behavioral and social cognitive treatment strategies. Six months of "Integrated Social Cognitive and Behavioral Skills Therapy (ISST)" will be compared with "Neurocognitive Remediation Therapy (NCRT)" as active control condition in a randomized multicenter clinical trial using a two group pre-post design with 2x90 patients in the remitted early phase of schizophrenia. Beyond "all-cause-discontinuation" as common primary outcome of all clinical trials of the ESPRIT-consortium, measures of functional outcome and subjective quality of life, patient experience as well as neurocognitive, social-cognitive and social behavioral measures will be assessed at baseline (V0), after completion of treatment (V6), and after 6 months follow-up (V12). ISST is expected to reduce the one-year discontinuation rate by 20% compared with NCRT, and to be superior in functional outcome measures by an effect size of at least d=0.42.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

177

Conditions

Schizophrenia

Interventions

Integrated Social Cognitive and Behavioral Skills TherapyBEHAVIORAL

The Integrated Social Cognitive and Behavioral Skills Therapy (ISST) is a newly developed treatment program. It is based on the Training of Affect Recognition (Wölwer et al. 2005) and common social skills trainings, which are combined in an integrated rather than a sequenced manner. ISST uses both repeated practice and strategy-based training, and consists of 12 individual sessions, 5 group sessions and 1 individual final session over a period of 6 months.

Neurocognitive Remediation TherapyBEHAVIORAL

The Neurocognitive Remediation Program (NCRT) is based on a neurocognitive training already used as active control condition in our earlier studies (Wölwer et al. 2005, Klingberg et al. 2011). The present version of NCRT is matched in dose, mode and scheme of application to the ISST, but differs from the ISST regarding targeted cognitive domains and preferred training strategy (predominantly drill and practice based). The NCRT provides the same amount of group interaction and companionship as well as the same amount of guided community activity as in the ISST, but is structured in such a way that interactional behavior is secondary (e.g. by competition-like tasks rather than cooperative tasks). Thus therapeutic attention and commitment are held constant across study conditions.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 65 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Written informed consent * DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of schizophrenia (295.10-30, 295.90) * PANSS at baseline: total score ≤ 75 * Proficiency in German language. Exclusion Criteria: * Lack of accountability * Positive urine drug-screening for illicit drugs at screening (except cannabinoids and benzodiazepines) * Serious suicidal risk at screening visit * Other relevant axis 1-diagnoses according to diagnostic interview (MINI); * Other relevant neurological or somatic disorders * Verbal IQ\<80 (MWT-B)

Locations (6)

Rheinhessen-Fachklinik Alzey

Alzey, Germany

Vivantes Klinikum Am Urban

Berlin, Germany

Dept. of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn

Bonn, Germany

Dept. of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne

Cologne, Germany

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

All Cause Discontinuation

All Cause Discontinuation is defined as 1) not keeping appointments to treatment or diagnostic sessions as scheduled for more than 6 weeks and/or (2) not being traceable despite extensive efforts by the intervention team to reengage the patient throughout the entire intended treatment period and/or (3) withdrawal of consent by the patient (4) rater induced discontinuation of the study treatment (eg. for safety criteria) (5) not taking psychotropic drugs as prescribed for more than 14 consecutive days and/or (6) relevant worsening of symptoms.