Social cognition training for social cognition and social functioning in people with a psychotic disorder

This study aimed to investigate the effect of social cognition training on social cognition and social functioning in people with a psychotic disorder. A quasi-experimental design with pre- test, post-test, and a control group was used for this study. A purposeful sampling method was used to select 20 schizophrenia patients at the Razi psychiatric hospital in Tehran, Iran from 2019 to 2020. The participants were randomized to an experimental group (n=10) and a control group (n=10). The experimental group received ten, 60-minute sessions, but the control group was treated as usual. Eye Test-Test Revised Version Reflective Function Questionnaire for Adult (RFQA) was used to collect data. In addition to descriptive statistics, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to analyze the data, and SPSS-24 software was used for all analyses. The results showed that F for social cognition (p < .05, F=11.462) and social functioning (p < .05, F=12.256) were significant. Based on these findings, these variables differ significantly between the two groups. Taking these findings into consideration, it is possible to conclude that social cognition training is effective in improving social cognition and social functioning. The current study supports the feasibility and potential effectiveness of SCT in Iranian community settings.