METACOGNITION-ORIENTED SOCIAL SKILLS TRAINING (MOSST): THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK, WORKING METHODOLOGY AND TREATMENT DESCRIPTION FOR PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA

Abstract

The presence of social deficits in schizophrenia has been widely described in the literature as well as the negative impact of these deficits on psychosocial functioning. As a result, social skills training (SST) has emerged as a well-validated intervention that is recommended in several treatment guidelines for schizophrenia. However, various studies have found that the effects and generalizability of current SST programmes are limited with regards to the potential benefits on the daily psychosocial functioning of these patients. This paper aims to describe a newly developed intervention model that integrates metacognitive remediation into SST for patients affected by schizophrenia: metacognition-oriented social skills training (MOSST). The theoretical model of MOSST is based on recent findings suggesting the central role of metacognitive deficits in successful psychosocial functioning with schizophrenia. Therefore, MOSST focuses not only on training interpersonal skills but also on improving the understanding of one’s own mental states and those of others as well as the connection between mental states and effective social behaviour. In order to facilitate the treatment description, a case report is presented of an adult diagnosed with schizophrenia who successfully completed the programme. Finally, the clinical implications and limitations of the available evidence on MOSST are discussed, and future research directions with this programme are suggested.

Keywords

• Metacognition
• Schizophrenia
• Social skills training
• Rehabilitation.