The psychophysiological effects of Tai-chi and exercise in residential Schizophrenic patients: a 3-arm randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Patients with schizophrenia are characterized by high prevalence rates and chronicity that often leads to long-term institutionalization. Under the traditional medical model, treatment usually emphasizes the management of psychotic symptoms through medication, even though anti-psychotic drugs are associated with severe side effects, which can diminish patients’ physical and psychological well-being. Tai-chi, a mind-body exercise rooted in Eastern health philosophy, emphasizes the motor coordination and relaxation. With these potential benefits, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) is planned to investigate the effects of Tai-chi intervention on the cognitive and motor deficits characteristic of patients with schizophrenia. METHODS/DESIGN: A 3-arm RCT with waitlist control design will be used in this study. One hundred and fifty three participants will be randomized into (i) Tai-chi, (ii) exercise or (iii) waitlist control groups. Participants in both the Tai-chi and exercise groups will receive 12-weeks of specific intervention, in addition to the standard medication and care received by the waitlist control group. The exercise group will serve as a comparison, to delineate any unique benefits of Tai-chi that are independent of moderate aerobic exercise. All three groups will undergo three assessment phases: (i) at baseline, (ii) at 12 weeks (post-intervention), and (iii) at 24 weeks (maintenance). All participants will be assessed in terms of symptom management, motor coordination, memory, daily living function, and stress levels based on self-perceived responses and a physiological marker. DISCUSSION: Based on a promising pilot study conducted prior to this RCT, subjects in the Tai-chi intervention group are expected to be protected against deterioration of motor coordination and interpersonal functioning. They are also expected to have better symptoms management and lower stress level than the other treatment groups. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trail has been registered in the Clinical Trials Center of the University of Hong Kong (HKCTR-1453)

Anxiety-related attention bias among cancer patients : a metacognitive perspective

Many cancer survivors live under a constant fear of cancer recurrence, which could lead to an array of emotional, cognitive and functional difficulties. Cognitive theories proposed that attentional biases towards threatening information served to maintain psychological disorders, but the presence and impact of attentional biases towards cancer-related information were relatively less studied. Meanwhile, there were also some preliminary evidence that dysfunctional metacognitions could further contribute to a fear of recurrence. Hence, the current study aimed to better understand the information processing mechanism, specifically the relationship between attentional bias and maladaptive metacognitions with patient’s fear of cancer recurrence. Twenty-four Chinese cancer patients were invited to complete questionnaires on their fears of cancer recurrence, metacognitive beliefs and emotional well-being. They also completed a dot probe task which assessed attentional biases towards cancer-related words. Results found that higher fear of recurrence was associated with stronger attentional bias towards cancer-threat, as well as having more maladaptive metacognitive beliefs. Study findings could have clinical implications on the psychological treatment of cancer patients with fears of cancer recurrence.published_or_final_versionClinical PsychologyMasterMaster of Social Science

Understanding breast cancer patients: a 3-year follow-up study on psychosocial support groups

published_or_final_versionSocial Work and Social AdministrationMasterMaster of Philosoph