Effect of Social Skills Enhancement Training Program on Negative Symptoms among Patients with Schizophrenia

Negative symptoms in schizophrenia are commonly associated with reductions and difficulties in patients' social skills. Fortunately, many psychosocial interventions recommended for their improvement. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of social skills enhancement training program on negative symptoms among patients with schizophrenia. Subjects: a convenience sample of 60 patients with schizophrenia who attended both inpatient department and the outpatient clinic, of department of neuropsychiatry Tanta University hospital. Study design: Quasi-experimental research design was utilized. Settings: department of neuropsychiatry Tanta University Hospital. Study tools: Two tools were used: tool 1 is "Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS)" and Tool 2 is "Social skills assessment screening scale". Results: there were reductions in the mean scores of negative symptoms domains and a significant increase in the mean scores of social skills domains, immediately and at one month after the program in comparison with before. There was a highly statistical significant negative correlation between levels of social skills and levels of negative symptoms Conclusions: it can be concluded that, the social skills enhancement training program was effective for patients with schizophrenia and brought a significant decrease in the severity of negative symptoms, and an improvement in their social skills in comparison to before the program. Recommendations: theresearcher recommended that social skills training program should be integrated in the psychiatric hospitals’ protocol of care in conjunction with pharmacological therapy for going beyond the traditional treatment process of patients with schizophrenia.
 
Negative symptoms in schizophrenia are commonly associated with reductions and difficulties in patients' social skills. Fortunately, many psychosocial interventions recommended for their improvement. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of social skills enhancement training program on negative symptoms among patients with schizophrenia. Subjects: a convenience sample of 60 patients with schizophrenia who attended both inpatient department and the outpatient clinic, of department of neuropsychiatry Tanta University hospital. Study design: Quasi-experimental research design was utilized. Settings: department of neuropsychiatry Tanta University Hospital. Study tools: Two tools were used: tool 1 is "Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS)" and Tool 2 is "Social skills assessment screening scale". Results: there were reductions in the mean scores of negative symptoms domains and a significant increase in the mean scores of social skills domains, immediately and at one month after the program in comparison with before. There was a highly statistical significant negative correlation between levels of social skills and levels of negative symptoms Conclusions: it can be concluded that, the social skills enhancement training program was effective for patients with schizophrenia and brought a significant decrease in the severity of negative symptoms, and an improvement in their social skills in comparison to before the program. Recommendations: theresearcher recommended that social skills training program should be integrated in the psychiatric hospitals’ protocol of care in conjunction with pharmacological therapy for going beyond the traditional treatment process of patients with schizophrenia.