The effect of cognitive-behavioral group training of self-care skills on self-care in patients with schizophrenia

Background & Aim: Self-care is one of the challenges of the health care system in patients with schizophrenia. It has been less studied due to these patients have no insight into the symptoms. This study aimed to determine the effect of cognitive-behavioral group training on self-care skills in patients with schizophrenia. Methods & Materials: This single-blind randomized controlled clinical trial (blinding of data analysts) was performed on 50 hospitalized schizophrenia patients by convenience sampling method and random block allocation to the intervention (n=26) and control (n=24) groups in Ebn-Sina Psychiatric Hospital of Mashhad, Iran from late July 2020 to mid-January 2021. The intervention group received cognitive-behavioral group training of self-care skills based on Kashani Lotfabadi et al. (2020) protocol in 10 sessions (two sessions per week). The control group was placed on a waiting list. Data collection tools included the Self-Care Requisites Scale (SCRS-H) and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The data were analyzed by SPSS 25 version, repeated measures of ANOVA test. Results: 60 % (n=30) of participants were female, and 40% (n=20) were male with a mean age of 32.98±8.35 years. The results of repeated measures of ANOVA indicated a significant difference between the intervention and control groups in terms of descending mean score of total self-care during the test stages (p=0.001). Conclusion: Cognitive-behavioral group training of self-care skills could promote self-care behaviors in patients with schizophrenia. Therefore, we suggest using this intervention to strengthen self-care skills in patients with schizophrenia.