The Effect of Sensory Room Intervention on Perceptual-Cognitive Performance and Psychiatric Status of People with Schizophrenia

Objectives: Individuals with schizophrenia show perceptual-cognitive abnormalities. Besides, depression and anxiety is an integral part of the disease most of the times. People with mental diseases, while under institutional care, experience lack of control and choice in their daily lives. Sensory room is an environment in which individuals can choose, control and explore the stimuli around them. So, they can organize their responses to their environment and restore and develop their skills, interacting through it. Methods: 48 people met the study criteria, who were evaluated with Lowenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment, Mini Mental State examination, and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Then they were randomly and equally assigned to intervention and comparison groups. Intervention group received sensory room intervention and comparison group had their traditional therapies. After 32 treatment sessions, 14 participants in intervention group and 7 participants in comparison group were excluded from the study and the tests were repeated for the remaining ones. Results: Findings did not show a significant effect of sensory room intervention on perceptual-cognitive performance and psychiatric status of people with schizophrenia (P>0.05). In reminding domain, however, results indicated maintenance of the skill in intervention group (P>0.05). and exacerbating of that in comparison group (P<0.05). Discussion: No significant change in perceptual-cognitive performance and psychiatric status for individuals with schizophrenia during 3 month period of sensory room intervention was found, except for reminding which did not changed significantly in intervention group, but regressed in comparison group after the intervention period.