Identifikation von Prädiktoren des Trainingserfolgs bei schizophrenen Patienten
This study analyses predictors that can forecast the responses of schizophrenia patients to attention training. Over its course, 24 schizophrenia patients attended 14 therapy sessions of a duration of 45 minutes each. During those sessions, they practiced alertness, selective attention and sustained attention with the attention training program CogniPlus. Another 11 patients served as control group, attending regular meetings with a therapist to talk, take a walk or play games. Before and after the training, the dependent variables Attention Network Task (ANT) and “Testbatterie zur Aufmerksamkeitsprüfung (TAP)” were measured. Surprisingly, the dependent variables did not show the expected training success. Therefore, a linear regression analysis was carried out to detect predictors of training success. Independent variables were training, age, education, PANSS positive syndrome scale, PANSS negative syndrome scale, PANSS global psychopathology, “Trail-Making-Test A (TMT-A)” and “Regensburger Wortflüssigkeitstest (RWT)”. Although this regression model did not reveal significant predictors, it showed a number of statistical trends. Patients suffering predominantly from negative symptoms did not improve through attention training, whereas patients with higher education levels benefited from the training sessions. The statistical analysis also took the interactions of the independent variables into account. Patients who performed poorly in the TMT-A and RWT at the first measurement could improve their scores significantly through attendance of the training. This study failed to demonstrate the success of attention training for the entire experimental group. Nevertheless, patients with higher education levels, less negative symptoms and poor neuro-cognitive test scores could profit from this attention training. Future research should be based on bigger samples, longer and intensified training sessions to demonstrate effectiveness of this attention training program. Also, strategy-orientated concepts to improve the impaired attention of schizophrenic patients should be taken into account. The focus of further studies should be the individual motivation of the patient, the durability and generalisation of achieved changes of attention.
info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/610, Aufmerksamkeit, Schizophrenie, Medizin, Aufmerksamkeitstraining, attention, attention training, schizophrenia
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