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

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

A pilot study on feasibility, acceptance and effectiveness of metacognitive-oriented social skills training in schizophrenia

Background: In preparation for a randomized controlled trial, a pilot study was conducted to investigate the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of a psychotherapy group based on metacognitive-oriented social skills training (MOSST). Methods: Twelve outpatients with schizophrenia were offered 16 group-sessions of MOSST. Effect sizes were calculated for changes from baseline to treatment end for both psychosocial functioning and metacognitive abilities measured by the Personal and Social Performance Scale (PSP) and the Metacognition Assessment Scale-Abbreviated (MAS-A) respectively. Results and discussion: Ten patients finished the full treatment protocol and nonsignificant moderate effect sizes were obtained on PSP and MAS-A scores. To date, this is the first study in Spain to suggest that outpatients with schizophrenia will accept metacognitive therapy for social skills training and evidence improvements in psychosocial functioning and metacognition. Conclusion: Despite limitations inherent in a pilot study, including a small sample size and the absence of a control group, sufficient evidence of effectiveness was found to warrant further investigation. Trial registration:ISRCTN10917911. Retrospectively registered 30 November 2016. © 2017 The Author(s)

The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project

The PREDICTS project—Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)—has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international efforts wishing to model and understand the global status of biodiversity