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Abstract
Serious mental illness (SMI) constitutes an immense burden on individuals and society. While various psychosocial interventions have proven efficacious in the treatment of SMI, relatively little is known about the effectiveness of these treatments in minority populations or the extent to which cultural adaptations need be made to them. Evidence suggests that racial/ethnic, and cultural factors can affect symptom expression, diagnosis, treatment outcome and health care service utilization.
This study examined whether racial/ethnic minorities with schizophrenia in Cognitive Behavioral Social Skills Training (CBSST) showed improved treatment outcomes compared to non-Latino Whites. It was hypothesized that individuals identifying as a racial/ethnic minority in TAU+CBSST would show improved functioning in several domains at end of treatment and follow-up sessions, relative to Whites and other racial/ethnic minorities in TAU+GFSC. We also hypothesized that persons identified as being a racial/ethnic minority with severe defeatist performance attitudes would have a slower rate of change in CBSST performance.
This study examined whether racial/ethnic minorities with schizophrenia in Cognitive Behavioral Social Skills Training (CBSST) showed improved treatment outcomes compared to non-Latino Whites. It was hypothesized that individuals identifying as a racial/ethnic minority in TAU+CBSST would show improved functioning in several domains at end of treatment and follow-up sessions, relative to Whites and other racial/ethnic minorities in TAU+GFSC. We also hypothesized that persons identified as being a racial/ethnic minority with severe defeatist performance attitudes would have a slower rate of change in CBSST performance.
Findings indicate that psychosocial rehabilitation for racial/ethnic minorities with schizophrenia can have positive implications for the disorder, especially for the treatment of neurocognitive and sociocognitive deficits, as well as for improvement in psychosocial functioning, and these results can be long lasting. These promising results suggest that aspects of CBSST that target psychosocial functioning should be strengthened and measures of cultural factors and how they influence psychosocial rehabilitation outcomes should be included in future research.
