Benefits of social cognitive skills training within routine community mental health services: Evidence from a non-randomized parallel controlled study

Although social cognitive impairments are evident in patients with schizophrenia across many cultures, psychosocial interventions are less used in Eastern countries. Despite a growing emphasis on community care in mental health services in Eastern countries, the synergistic effects of social cognitive intervention strategies on routine community mental health services are not well documented. This study aimed to adapt a group-based social cognitive skills training (SCST) program for use in a Korean context and evaluate its feasibility and preliminary effects among community-dwelling individuals with schizophrenia. Forty-seven patients were assigned to either the SCST + treatment as usual (TAU) group (n = 21) or the TAU only group (n = 24). Participants completed tasks to assess social cognition, social functioning, neurocognition, and psychiatric symptoms before and after treatment. Over a period of approximately 12 weeks, drop-out rates were comparably low in both groups, and the attendance rates for the SCST program were high (85.7 %, mean sessions attended = 20.56/24 sessions). The SCST + TAU group demonstrated significant improvements in facial affect recognition, social functioning, and psychiatric symptoms compared to the TAU only group. A non-significant trend in theory of mind was observed, along with no improvements in social perception and neurocognition. The adapted version of the SCST program is feasible for implementation and demonstrates promise for enhancing social cognition and functioning in Korean outpatients with schizophrenia.