Implementation intention training for prospective memory in schizophrenia: A 3-month follow-up study

Abstract

The beneficial effect of implementation intentions (II) on prospective memory (PM) deficits in patients with schizophrenia has been reported. However, these studies were limited to brief interventions such that the transfer and long-term effects of II training remains unclear. This study examined whether a 10-session II programme could improve PM performance, social functioning and functional capacity in patients with schizophrenia immediately after training and at 3-month follow-up. Patients with schizophrenia (n = 42) recruited from the community were randomly assigned to II training (n=21) or treatment as usual (TAU) (n=21). Participants in the II group learned the verbal and imagery component of II and were encouraged to apply these strategies in their daily lives. We found that the II group performed better than the TAU group on computer-based PM tasks and a daily life PM task (telephone call at specified date and time) at post-treatment and at 3-month follow-up. The II group also exhibited better working ability than the TAU group at post-treatment. Our results suggest that the II intervention programme may have lasting beneficial effects in PM performance and significant transfer effects to functional capacity in schizophrenia patients.

Prospective Memory Training in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…These discrepancies between immediate and long-term efficacy might be due to a decline in performance over time. A study on implementation intention, one of the most commonly used PM training regimes, also demonstrated a similar effect (Chen et al, 2019 ); they found a significant improvement in PM at post-test, as measured by the computerised PM task (Ƞp 2 = 0.17 for EBPM and Ƞp 2 = 0.11 for TBPM) and the naturalistic PM task (i.e., phone call task; Ƞp 2 = 0.10). At the three-month follow-up, although the implementation intention group still demonstrated a significant effect in the EBPM measures and phone call task, the overall effect size in the EBPM measures dropped (i.e., Ƞp 2 from 0.17 to 0.11) and the effect size in the phone call task increased (i.e., Ƞp 2 from 0.10 to 0.11).…”

Time to Integrate Prospective Memory Improvement Strategies in Cognitive Remediation Program for Schizophrenia?

“…The individual is asked to repeat this sequence a certain number of times (for example, when I reach the office, I will make a phone call to John). An imagery component may also follow it (for example, apart from rehearsing the 'if' and 'then' statements, imagine performing the task for 30 s) [24,25]. Implementation intention training effectively improves ProM in schizophrenia [24,25].…”

“…An imagery component may also follow it (for example, apart from rehearsing the 'if' and 'then' statements, imagine performing the task for 30 s) [24,25]. Implementation intention training effectively improves ProM in schizophrenia [24,25]. The improvement is (a) seen even if the cognitive load of the intervening task increases, (b) sustained after the active intervention is stopped, and (c) observed both in terms of laboratorybased as well as real-life ProM tasks [24,25].…”

“…Implementation intention training effectively improves ProM in schizophrenia [24,25]. The improvement is (a) seen even if the cognitive load of the intervening task increases, (b) sustained after the active intervention is stopped, and (c) observed both in terms of laboratorybased as well as real-life ProM tasks [24,25]. Other strategies to improve ProM in schizophrenia have also been tried.…”

Switch, a new intervention that targets motivational negative symptoms in people with schizophrenia: An uncontrolled pilot study

“…Switch was specifically developed to tackle all of the difficulties involved in motivation. Thus, the potential of the intervention is maximized as strategies are available across all processes (e.g., Chen et al, 2019;Farquharson & MacLeod, 2014;Favrod et al, 2019), from the premises of motivation to goal attainment and maintenance.…”