Effects of Metacognitive Training on Cognitive Insight in a Sample of Patients with Schizophrenia.

Metacognitive training (MCT) is a group intervention that addresses cognitive biases and distortions that could help maintain delusions and hallucinations in people with schizophrenia. This program has proven its effectiveness in reducing the symptoms, but its impact on cognitive insight has scarcely been investigated. Therefore, the aim of the study was to assess the program's impact on cognitive insight in patients with long-term schizophrenia. A sample of 22 patients with schizophrenia was divided into two groups: one received 16 sessions of MCT (n = 11), while the other received the usual treatment (n = 11). They were assessed using the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale which measures two components, self-reflection and self-certainty, and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The experimental group showed high levels of adherence, an increase in self-reflection, and a decrease in self-assurance levels as hypothesized. We found statistically significant differences between the control and experimental groups in excitation, hostility, positive symptomatology total score, hallucinatory behavior, and suspicion. In the usual treatment group, a non-significant decrease in positive symptoms was also observed. The findings showed that the implementation of the MCT program in real clinical settings can contribute to an improvement in the metacognitive ability and symptomatology of people with schizophrenia.

Cognitive insight, neurocognition and life skills in patients with schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: The concept of cognitive insight refers to the capacity for self-reflectiveness as a mechanism for evaluating one's symptoms and self-certainty, understood as the ability to correct inappropriate interpretations and conclusions. There are no conclusive results regardingabout the clinical and neuropsychological variables involved and there are hardly any studies of their impact on functional outcomes. METHOD: The objectives were to analyze the neuropsychological and clinical cognitive insight in a sample of 22 stable patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, to assess its impact on life skills and to analyze whether it can be a mediating variable between cognitive deficits and daily functioning. A neuropsychological battery composed of tests of memory (TAVEC and WAIS-Digits), executive functioning (WCST and Stroop) and vocabulary, the BCIS, a measure of everyday functions (LSP) and the PANSS. RESULTS: We found significant negative correlations between the WAIS vocabulary test, self-assurance, and life skills; although this is influenced to a greater extent by the negative symptomatology and the premorbid general cognitive level. CONCLUSIONS: A greater openness to corrective feedback of distorted thoughts, without specific cognitive capacities, improves the ability of patients with schizophrenia to adapt to the environment.