Using 360° immersive videos to assess paranoia in a non-clinical population.

Introduction: For the past two decades, virtual reality (VR) has proven to be an innovative approach for the assessment of state paranoia. However, the use of VR remains costly, and avatars are still far from realistic in terms of facial and bodily expressions. The present study aimed to test the validity of three 360° immersive videos (360IVs) as an accessible and realistic alternative for the assessment of non-clinical state paranoia.Method: Three 360IVs were created (a Lift, a Library and a Bar) and included actors behaving naturally. One hundred and fifty healthy students were assessed in terms of their proneness towards trait paranoia, were then exposed to one of the three 360IVs, and finally completed measures of state paranoia, sense of presence and cybersickness.Results: Results revealed the presence of various interpretations about the actor's attitudes in the three 360IVs. Also, paranoid thoughts were predicted by proneness towards trait paranoia in two out of the three 360IVs. Furthermore, moderate levels of sense of presence and low levels of cybersickness were observed for each 360IV.Conclusion: The present study provides evidence in favour of the use of 360IVs as a new accessible, realistic, and standardised tool to assess state paranoia in non-clinical samples.

Idiographic analyses of motivation and related processes in participants with schizophrenia following a therapeutic intervention for negative symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Motivational negative symptoms hinder quality of life and daily functioning of individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. A recently developed intervention, Switch, has shown promising effects on negative symptoms and functional outcomes. Switch targets multiple cognitive, emotional and behavioural processes associated with motivation and goal directed behaviours. We aimed to investigate its effects on motivation and associated processes in a naturalistic setting, and to explore the dynamics between the processes. METHODS: We used a single case approach (n = 3), with a pre-post and follow-up assessment design, which also included ambulatory assessments (experience sampling method, ESM; and step count). We computed autoregressive lag 1 models to evaluate the effects of the intervention on daily motivation levels and related processes, descriptive pie-charts, and vector autoregressive modelling to reveal the dynamics of the processes over time. RESULTS: The intervention was beneficial for each participant according to traditional evaluations of motivational negative symptoms, apathy, daily functioning and quality of life. The effects on the ESM variables revealed distinct outcomes for each individual. The dynamics between the various processes differed between participants, and fluctuated within participants (when comparing baseline, intervention phase, and follow-up). CONCLUSIONS: This study used an innovative approach to look at the effectiveness of an intervention. The intervention seems to lead to meaningful improvements in motivational negative symptoms and functional outcomes. The mechanisms of change need to be further investigated. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04325100 . Registered 27 March 27, 2020 -retrospectively registered. REPORTING: Guidelines from the Transparent Reporting of Evaluations with Non-randomized Designs (TREND) statement were followed.

Switch, a new intervention that targets motivational negative symptoms in people with schizophrenia: An uncontrolled pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: People diagnosed with schizophrenia experience difficulties in their daily life, which is best explained by motivational negative symptoms. This study explores the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of Switch, a new multifactorial intervention that targets motivational deficits. METHOD: Eight participants with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder followed around 30 individual sessions of Switch over 12 months. Participants and their informants were interviewed at baseline (T0), at 6 months (T1), at the end of the intervention (T2), and at 6 months follow-up (T3). RESULTS: T0-T1 paired sample t tests showed large improvements on motivational deficits, general negative symptoms, and apathy and functional outcomes (both as rated by informants). At T2 and T3, moderate to large improvements were maintained. Switch was well accepted by participants. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary investigation provides evidence that Switch may be a feasible, acceptable, and effective intervention specifically designed to target motivational deficits and improve daily functioning.

A Group Intervention for Motivational Deficits: Preliminary Investigation of a Blended Care Approach Using Ambulatory Assessment.

Motivational deficits are an important predictor of functional outcomes in individuals with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia and mood spectrum disorders. The aim of the present study was to explore the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a group version of "Switch," an intervention that targets motivational deficits, enriched with an ecological momentary intervention (EMI) approach (i.e., prompts on the participants' smartphone to encourage the use of trained strategies in their daily life). Eight participants with schizophrenia, schizoaffective, or major depressive disorder entered the study. The intervention took place twice a week for 2 months. Assessment measures included traditional evaluations of motivational negative symptoms, apathy, quality of life and daily functioning, in addition to ambulatory assessment methods strategies, including the experience sampling method (ESM) to assess motivation and related processes, and actigraphy (daily step-count) to assess participants' activity level. Four participants were considered as non-completers (followed less than 2/3 of the program) and four were considered as completers. Only completers presented a decrease in amotivation/apathy and an improvement in functional outcomes after the intervention and at follow-up. Furthermore, mixed-effects ESM models showed significant interaction effects on multiple processes related to motivation, indicating improvements only in completers: heightened motivation, increased engagement in meaningful and effortful activities, better mood, higher levels of confidence, increased frequency of projection into the future (pleasure anticipation), and of positive reminiscence. This preliminary investigation provides evidence that Switch may be an effective intervention, with specific effects on motivation and associated processes.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the French Version of the Savoring Beliefs Inventory.

The Savoring Beliefs Inventory (SBI) is a measure designed to assess attitudes toward savoring positive experience within three temporal orientations: the past (reminiscence), the present moment (present enjoyment), and the future (anticipation). The aim of this study was to validate the structure of the SBI-French version. The scale was tested with 335 French-speaking participants. Two models were estimated: a one-factor model representing a general construct of savoring and a three-factor model differentiating between anticipation, present enjoyment, and reminiscence. Several indicators of model fit were used: the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), the comparison fit index (CFI), the Tucker-Lewis fit index (TLI), and the standardized root mean residual (SRMR). A chi-square difference test was used to compare the two models. The model fit of the three-factor model assessed by the SRMR showed to be excellent, while it could be considered as satisfactory according to the CFI and TLI coefficients. RMSEA, however, was slightly less adequate. The model fit for the one-factor model seemed less adequate than the three-factor solution. Further, the chi-square difference test revealed that the three-factor model had significantly better fit than the one-factor model. Finally, the reliability of the four scores (anticipating pleasure, present moment pleasure, reminiscing pleasure, and total score) was very good. These results show that the French version of the SBI is a valid and valuable scale to measure attitudes regarding the ability to savor positive experience, whether it be in anticipation, reminiscence, or the present moment.

A direct examination of the cognitive underpinnings of multitasking abilities: A first study examining schizophrenia.

Many real world activities are complex and require multitasking abilities. However, the nature of these abilities remains poorly understood, and in particular in schizophrenia. The aim of the present study was to provide a better understanding of such abilities with the help of a newly developed computerized tool, the Computerized Meeting Preparation Task (CMPT). Fifty-seven individuals with schizophrenia and 39 healthy controls completed the CMPT and an extensive cognitive battery. Patients were also evaluated with a series of clinical measures. During the CMPT, participants are asked to prepare a room for a meeting while, at the same time, dealing with interruptions, solving problems, and remembering prospective memory instructions. The CMPT was found to significantly differentiate patients and healthy controls for several variables. Results also showed that multitasking abilities were related to a large array of cognitive functions and, in particular, to those associated to executive functioning. These relations were not explained by the presence of a general cognitive impairment. Finally, a double dissociation between multitasking abilities and performance on standard cognitive tests was observed. Altogether, these results underline the importance of evaluating multitasking abilities in schizophrenia as it allows detecting cognitive difficulties that cannot be identified by standard cognitive tests.

The effects of a documentary film about schizophrenia on cognitive, affective and behavioural aspects of stigmatisation.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Stereotypes about schizophrenia may lead to prejudicial attitudes and discrimination with debilitating effects on people diagnosed with schizophrenia. There is thus a need to develop interventions aiming to prevent, reduce or eliminate such stereotypes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a documentary film on schizophrenia on cognitive, affective and behavioural aspects of stigmatisation. METHODS: Forty-nine participants were assessed on measures of stereotypes and social distance, and on the Model of Stereotype Content, which includes measures of stereotypes, emotional reactions and behavioural tendencies. Participants were randomly assigned into either a condition in which they viewed the documentary film (Film group), or into a control condition in which no intervention was conducted (Control group). RESULTS: Only participants in the Film group revealed a significant decrease of negative stereotypes (Dangerousness and Unpredictability) and desired Social distance, and a significant increase in the perception of sociability in persons with schizophrenia. LIMITATIONS: Small sample size and its reduced generalizability are the main limitations in this study. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that a documentary film promoting indirect contact with people diagnosed with schizophrenia is a promising tool to prevent and reduce stigmatisation regarding schizophrenia..