A Community Based Treatment: Impact of Social Skills Training Program on Improving Social Skills among Schizophrenic Patients

One of the hallmarks of schizophrenia is impairment in social functioning. A large body of research supports the effectiveness of social skills training in integrating the schizophrenic patients into the community. So, we aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a constructed social skills training program on improving social skills among schizophrenic patients. The study was based on a controlled design (experimental) including randomization to treatment groups, blind assessments and stable pharmacological treatment. Patients were recruited from patients attending the two (males and females) inpatient psychiatric wards located in Alfehais Mental Health Hospital, Ministry of Health, Jordan. A pre and post Behavioral Observation Assessment Sheet was utilized to collect data. The training program was divided into two parts: conversational and assertiveness skills training. The results revealed that there was a significant difference between pre and post assessment data of experimental group as regarding all items of psychosocial skills training P > 0.05. The study indicated the effectiveness of social skills training program in improving the social skills of the experimental group and has implications to its importance for schizophrenics, as it should be run as a routine care like medications and other therapies.