scholarly journals M230. VIRTUAL REALITY FOR IMPROVING SOCIAL ACTIVITIES AND PARTICIPATION (VR-SOAP): DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW TREATMENT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WITH PSYCHOSIS

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S224-S224
Author(s):  
Dauw Muijsson ◽  
Elise van der Stouwe ◽  
Kirstin Greaves-Lord ◽  
Saskia Nijman ◽  
Marieke Pijnenborg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Social Cognition ◽  
Young People ◽  
Social Functioning ◽  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Social Situations ◽  
Social Contacts ◽  
The Social

Abstract Background Young people with a psychotic disorder have the same social goals as their healthy peers, but their social networks are smaller, they participate less often in leisure activities and are less successful in work and education. Current treatments have only moderate effects on social functioning. Virtual Reality (VR) has a great potential to improve the social functioning of young people with psychosis. With VR, individuals can practice with simulations of difficult social situations in a safe and personalized way. Therefore, we aimed to develop and investigate feasibility of a novel VR treatment (VR-SOAP) for improving social contacts, leisure activities and social participation of young people with a psychotic disorder. Methods As a first step, a literature search of causes of impaired social functioning was conducted. Underlying relationships and mechanisms of the causes were identified. The causes of impaired social functioning were translated into concepts for the VR modules. The concepts were translated into requirements for the VR modules. Subsequently, the software and the treatment manual were developed in an iterative process with a team of experiential experts, psychosis therapists, researchers, VR experts and software engineers. The final prototype will be tested in a small pilot study with three therapists and six patients. In order to determine the feasibility and acceptability of the treatment and to evaluate and improve the treatment protocol using input from therapists and patients. Results Several determinants of impaired social functioning were identified: negative symptoms, impaired social cognition, paranoid ideations, social anxiety, low self-esteem, self-stigma and poor communication skills. These causes are multifaceted, but at the same time interrelated and overlapping. VR-SOAP was designed as five modules that address these causes, four optional modules (1–4) and one fixed module (5). The treatment is personalized and takes the specific individual contributing causes into account. Patient and therapist select two out of four optional modules. In module 1 (Negative symptoms) patients will focus on increasing their motivation and pleasure in dealing with amotivation and anhedonia. In module 2 (Social cognition) patients will practice with recognizing facial emotions and interpreting social situations. Module 3 (Paranoid ideations) consists of exposure exercises and behavioural experiments testing harm expectancies. In module 4 (Self-esteem and self-stigma) patients will focus on positive aspects of the self and challenge self-criticism. All patients will end with module 5 (Communication and Interaction skills), in which experiences, knowledge and skills from other modules are integrated and applied in role-plays. Currently, the pilot feasibility study is ongoing. Preliminary results will be presented. Discussion VR-SOAP is a promising new intervention for enhancing the social functioning of young adults with psychosis. VR is very useful for practising new social behaviour. It enables patients to practice with real-world social situations in a safe and gradual way. In the coming years, a single-blind randomized controlled trial will be conducted to test the effect of VR-SOAP on social contacts, leisure activities and social participation.

Characterising Usage of a Multicomponent Digital Intervention to Predict Treatment Outcomes in First-Episode Psychosis: A Cluster Analysis (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaunagh O'Sullivan ◽  
Lianne Schmaal ◽  
Simon D'Alfonso ◽  
Yara J Toenders ◽  
Lee Valentine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Treatment Outcomes ◽  
Social Functioning ◽  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
User Profile ◽  
First Episode Psychosis ◽  
First Episode ◽  
User Profiles ◽  
Episode Psychosis ◽  
Social Components

BACKGROUND Multicomponent digital interventions offer the potential for tailored and flexible interventions that aim to address high attrition rates and increase engagement, an area of concern in digital mental health. However, increased flexibility in usage makes it difficult to determine which components lead to improved treatment outcomes. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to identify user profiles on Horyzons, an 18-month digital relapse prevention intervention that incorporates therapeutic content and social networking, along with clinical, vocational and peer support, and to examine the predictive value of these user profiles for treatment outcomes. A secondary objective was to compare each user profile with young people receiving treatment as usual (TAU). METHODS Participants comprised 82 young people (16-27 years of age) with access to Horyzons and 84 receiving TAU, recovering from first-episode psychosis. Six-month usage data from the therapy and social networking components of Horyzons were used as features for K-means clustering for joint trajectories to identify user profiles. Social functioning, psychotic symptoms, depression and anxiety were assessed at baseline and six-month follow-up. General linear mixed models were used to examine the predictive value of user profiles for treatment outcomes, and between each user profile with TAU. RESULTS Three user profiles were identified based on system usage metrics including: (a) low usage; (b) maintained usage of social components; and (c) maintained usage of both therapy and social components. The maintained therapy and social group showed improvements in social functioning (F (2, 51) = 3.58; P = .04), negative symptoms (F (2, 51) = 4.45; P = .02) and overall psychiatric symptom severity (F (2, 50) = 3.23; P = .048) compared to the other user profiles. This group also showed improvements in social functioning (F (1, 62) = 4.68; P = .03), negative symptoms (F (1, 62) = 14.61; P = <.001) and overall psychiatric symptom severity (F (1, 63) = 5.66; P = .02) compared to TAU. Conversely, the maintained social group showed increases in anxiety compared to TAU (F (1, 57) = 7.65; P = .01). No differences were found between the low usage group and TAU on treatment outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Continued engagement with both therapy and social components might be key in achieving long-term recovery. Maintained social usage and low usage outcomes were broadly comparable to TAU, emphasizing the importance of maintaining engagement for improved treatment outcomes. Although the social network may be a key ingredient to increase sustained engagement, as users engaged with this more consistently, it should be leveraged as a tool to engage young people with therapeutic content to bring about social and clinical benefits.

scholarly journals Inclusion, Diversity, Equality in Non-Formal Education through the Optic of Youth and Youth Workers

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 94-108
Author(s):  
Martin Brestovanský ◽  
Janette Gubricová ◽  
Kristína Liberčanová ◽  
Naďa Bizová ◽  
Zuzana Geršicová
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Informal Education ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Youth Workers ◽  
Youth Organizations ◽  
The Social ◽  
Group Members

AbstractIntroduction: The aim of the study was to find out what is the understanding of relatively new terms coming into the cultures of Middle-European countries – inclusion, diversity, and equality (hereinafter referred to as IDE) – from the point of view of young people (n=30) and youth workers (n=16) in Slovakia.Methods: For data gathering, we used a method of focus groups (4 meetings). Data analysis was based on three criteria: consistency in understanding the terms, an overview of types of obstacles that keep young people from self-realisation and an explicit or implicit expression of understanding the basic principles of inclusion in education. The content of IDE terms was mostly from the area of the social field. The term diversity was closely explained in the psychological-personal fields.Results: The most frequent obstacles for applying IDE approaches were seen in the social, health and religious spheres. From the pedagogical and methodological point of view, the problem is also in the difficulty of preparing the projects based on the principles of IDE while the youth workers proclaim autonomy in solutions and do not trust the possibilities of using general methods because of specific need resulting from the specific context of their work. Also, they proclaim natural applying of the IDE principles and the existence of specific needs in the informal education does not represent any problem for the inclusion of the group members in the activities of the organisation.Limitations: Work with youth is very varied. Performs in different areas of life and also involves working with different groups of young people. The selected research sample consists of youth and youth workers who are only a partial sample of the sample. It is assumed that in a larger group of respondents (both youth workers and youths themselves), respondents' views may differ somewhat in some of the areas studied.Conclusions: This research provides information on understanding, implementation and obstacles to applying the principles of inclusion, equality and diversity in practice. We believe that the information we receive is very valuable as it opens the imaginative door to the specific kitchens of individual youth organizations where these principles are directly implemented. They show their nature of application in practice, they suggest some risks, as well as a certain bias towards the application of the terms emerging (probably?) from theory. As can be seen from the results of our research, the emergence of specific needs in non-formal education in practice does not pose a problem in the inclusion of group members in leisure activities.

scholarly journals Clinical and Therapeutic Factors Affecting the Social Adaptation of Patients with Schizophrenia

Psychiatry ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 26-33
Author(s):  
N. N. Petrova ◽  
K. A. Tsyrenova
Keyword(s):  
Social Functioning ◽  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
Social Adaptation ◽  
Neurocognitive Deficits ◽  
Information Processing Speed ◽  
Antipsychotic Therapy ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Psychometric Scales ◽  
The Social ◽  
Problem Solving Behavior

Background: сurrently, the question remains open about the factors that affect the social functioning of patients with schizophrenia, including the role of negative symptoms and neurocognitive deficits. The aim: to study factors that affect the social functioning of patients with schizophrenia. Patients and methods: 64 in-patient with schizophrenia (mean age 35.9 ± 10.9 years) were examined at the stage of remission. The disease duration was 9.71 ± 6.0 years. The majority of patients suffered from paranoid and hallucinatory-paranoid attacs (43 and 23%, respectively). The study used follow-up, clinical and psychopathological methods as well as psychometric scales: PANSS, SANS, ВАСS, Calgary scales and UKU scales. An integrative indicator was introduced to assess the social adaptation of patients. Results: it is shown that as the duration of the disease increases, the indicator of social adaptation decreases. The presence of side effects of antipsychotic therapy is associated with restrictions on the social functioning of patients, but the use of second-generation antipsychotics contributes to an increase in the level of social functioning of patients. Patients with more pronounced apathetic-abulic disorders, flattened affect, anhedonia-asociality and social isolation are characterized by a lower level of social functioning. Adapted patients differ from maladapted patients by better indicators of auditory-speech memory, motor skills, information processing speed, ability to plan and problem solving behavior. Conclusion: the integrative indicator of social adaptation of patients with schizophrenia is associated with a number of cognitive and negative symptoms, features of antipsychotic therapy and the duration of the disease.

scholarly journals The role of social relatedness and self-beliefs in social functioning in first-episode psychosis: Are we overestimating the contribution of illness-related factors?

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
César González-Blanch ◽  
Leonardo A. Medrano ◽  
Sarah Bendall ◽  
Simon D’Alfonso ◽  
Daniela Cagliarini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Social Functioning ◽  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
First Episode Psychosis ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Social Relatedness ◽  
Episode Psychosis ◽  
Fit Index

Abstract Objective Numerous research studies have demonstrated an association between higher symptom severity and cognitive impairment with poorer social functioning in first-episode psychosis (FEP). By contrast, the influence of subjective experiences, such as social relatedness and self-beliefs, has received less attention. Consequently, a cohesive understanding of how these variables interact to influence social functioning is lacking. Method We used structural equation modeling to examine the direct and indirect relationships among neurocognition (processing speed) and social cognition, symptoms, and social relatedness (perceived social support and loneliness) and self-beliefs (self-efficacy and self-esteem) in 170 individuals with FEP. Results The final model yielded an acceptable model fit (χ2 = 45.48, comparative fit index = 0.96; goodness of fit index = 0.94; Tucker–Lewis index = 0.94; root mean square error of approximation = 0.06) and explained 45% of social functioning. Negative symptoms, social relatedness, and self-beliefs exerted a direct effect on social functioning. Social relatedness partially mediated the impact of social cognition and negative symptoms on social functioning. Self-beliefs also mediated the relationship between social relatedness and social functioning. Conclusions The observed associations highlight the potential value of targeting social relatedness and self-beliefs to improve functional outcomes in FEP. Explanatory models of social functioning in FEP not accounting for social relatedness and self-beliefs might be overestimating the effect of the illness-related factors.

scholarly journals Analysis of Effectiveness of the Social-Pedagogical Leisure Activities System for Formation of Student Youth’s Social Activity

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 24
Author(s):  
Nataliia Viacheslavivna Shepelieva ◽  
Nataliia Oleksandrivna Maksymovska ◽  
Angela Oleksandrivna Polyanichko
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Social Activity ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
The Social ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Grouping Method ◽  
Student’S T ◽  
High Level ◽  
Student’S T Test

Formation of student youth’s social activity is the leading task of social education, especially under conditions of information society. If psychological and age traits of students as a social group are to be taken into account, the beneficial means of harmonizing this process is leisure activities. Based on interdisciplinary and integrated approaches, a system of social-pedagogical leisure activities was developed to form social activity of student youth. The aim of this article is to analyze the implementation of the social-pedagogical leisure activities system of student youth’s social activity formation. The task of this article is to study the levels of student youth’s social activity before and after implementing the social-pedagogical leisure activities system and to analyze its effectiveness using the corresponding methods. According to outlined tasks, the following methods and indices were selected and used: relative indices method, grouping method, quantitative and qualitative analysis method, Student’s t-test, graphical method. Thanks to systematic approach to experimental part of the research, it was established that the level of students’ social activity formation has improved: the specific share of young people with low level has decreased significantly, while of those with high level has increased. Group curators have noted the tendencies of young people to organize leisure activities, while students themselves were becoming involved in useful leisure practices that were new to them. Effectiveness of the new system was confirmed using statistical methods.

scholarly journals “If He/She Had Been Like the Rest of Us”. How Do Young People Describe Their Schoolmates Who Are Different from Others in the Group?

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Minna Saarinen ◽  
Satu Mattila
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Peer Interactions ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Technical Institute ◽  
School Year ◽  
The Social ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
The Family ◽  
Upper Secondary Schools

The article examines issues related to peer interactions and group joining in upper secondary schools in Finland. The study elaborates on how young people describe students who are left out/excluded or who remain outside the social networks. The study also elucidates on how a student can join the group. The research is motivated by the current educational ethos, which emphasizes inclusion and tolerance. The data were collected from an upper secondary school and vocational and technical institute. The students were asked to recall the prior high school year and write an essay on the topic. A total of 49 students wrote about their memories. The data were analyzed using inductive content analysis, and the study found that students are either excluded or included due to the social skills they possess. Those who do not exhibit the same approach to being in a group will stay on the sidelines. The essays also described factors that connect students, such as hobbies and leisure activities. Similarity in many external factors (e.g., the family&rsquo;s economic situation) unites students. Contrary to expectations, young people described themselves, and not just others, as outsiders.

Psychosocial Treatments for Early Psychosis

2021 ◽  
pp. 103-118
Author(s):  
Beth Broussard ◽  
Michael T. Compton
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Supported Employment ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Work Relationships ◽  
Social Situations ◽  
Psychosocial Treatments ◽  
School Work ◽  
Full Life

This chapter discusses the importance of psychosocial treatments for psychosis. The recovery process focuses as much on resuming school, work, relationships, and recreation/leisure activities as it does on treating symptoms. The purpose of psychosocial treatments is to help young people with psychosis overcome common challenges in these areas and resume a full life. Group therapy can help young people to feel less alone and give them a chance to talk to others who are going through similar difficulties and discover what’s working for them. Family interventions help families to cope with stress, improve their social supports, and reduce the effects of stigma. Supported employment aims to move young people toward successful paid employment. Social skills training focuses on teaching people how to approach and navigate personal and professional social situations through a combination of learning new techniques and practicing these skills in various settings.

Social functioning and social cognition in bipolar disorder: Is there a connection?

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S336-S336
Author(s):  
V. Maria Iulia ◽  
R.C. Delphine ◽  
H. Audrey ◽  
K. Arthur
Keyword(s):  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Social Cognition ◽  
Social Functioning ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Situational Factors ◽  
Global Functioning ◽  
Literature Searches ◽  
The Social ◽  
Competing Interest ◽  
Bipolar Patients

IntroductionThe research interest in social cognition in bipolar disorder has increased in a significant way in the last decade showing major impairments, especially in mental state reasoning, even during euthymia (Samamé et al., 2012; Samamé et al., 2015). Social cognitive processes in humans describe the ways individuals draw inferences about other people's beliefs and the ways they weigh social situational factors in making these inferences (Green et al., 2008). A causal relationship between social cognition deficits and global functioning has been already established in schizophrenic populations (Green et al., 2015). But there is still little information regarding the relation between social cognition and social functioning in bipolar disorder.AimsTo review the relationship between general/social functioning and social cognitive impairments in bipolar patients.MethodsA systematic review of literature was conducted. Relevant articles were identified through literature searches in PubMed/Medline, EBSCOHost and Google Scholar databases dating from 2000 to 2015 using the keywords “bipolar”, “social cognition”, “theory of mind”, “mentalizing”, “emotion recognition”, “emotion processing”, “functioning” and “quality of life”.ResultsThe findings of the review will be discussed, regarding the specificity of the thymic state of the patients and the social cognition instruments used.ConclusionsTo the best of our knowledge, the present review is the first to explore specifically the relation between the social cognition deficits and the general/social functioning of bipolar patients. This exploration is of interest for a better comprehension of this disorder to improve the outcome of the patients.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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