Clinical Trial: Metacognitive Training in Schizophrenia

Study Status: Completed
Recruit Status: Completed
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: Metacognitive Training (MCT) Compared With Cognitive Remediation (CR) in Schizophrenia: a Randomized Controlled Study Over 4 Weeks

Brief Summary: Over a period of 4 weeks, metacognitive training for schizophrenia patients (MCT), delivered both in a group and individually, is compared to cognitive remediation (CogPack training). Blind to treatment assignment, both groups are assessed before intervention and four weeks later with the Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS), the Psychosis Rating Scales (PSYRATS) and cognitive tests. Delusion severity serves as the primary endpoint. It is assumed that MCT will improve delusion severity to a greater extent than CR in the course of 4 weeks taking medication into account.

Detailed Summary: Metacognitive training for schizophrenia patients (MCT) is a manualized group intervention that can be obtained cost-free online. MCT seeks to sharpen the awareness of schizophrenia spectrum patients on cognitive biases (e.g. jumping to conclusions) contributing to delusion formation and maintenance and conveys cognitive strategies to counter these. The present trial combines group MCT with an individualized cognitive-behavioral oriented approach entitled MCT+. Patients with schizophrenia are randomly allocated to either metacognitive treatment (MCT) or cognitive remediation (CogPack training). Blind to treatment assignment, both groups are assessed prior to intervention and four weeks later with the Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS), the Psychosis Rating Scales (PSYRATS) and cognitive tasks. Delusion scores derived from the PANSS and PSYRATS serve as main outcome parameters. We also explore if MCT improves jumping to conclusions with a probabilistic reasoning task. To make results as generalizable as possible to a typical inpatient population, broad inclusion criteria are chosen. Patients are only excluded if age is < 18 and > 65 years and diagnoses do not meet criteria of a schizophrenia spectrum disorder.
Sponsor: Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf

Current Primary Outcome: delusion severity as assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS); sum of item scores p1, p5, p6 and g9 [ Time Frame: 4 weeks ]

Original Primary Outcome: Same as current

Current Secondary Outcome:

Original Secondary Outcome:

Information By: Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf

Dates:
Date Received: December 5, 2009
Date Started: September 2009
Date Completion:
Last Updated: March 2, 2015
Last Verified: March 2015