Authors (including presenting author) :
Lau W(1), Man SW(1), Leung HY (1), Sezto NW (1), Hui N(1), Poon LT(2)
Affiliation :
(1) Occupational Therapy Department, United Christian Hospital
(2) Department of Psychiatry, United Christian Hospital
Keyword 2: :
cognitive rehabilitation
Keyword 3: :
people-centred care
Keyword 4: :
co-op approach
Keyword 5: :
occupational functioning
Introduction :
Research shows that approximately 80% of people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders experience cognitive impairments, including difficulties in memory, attention, and processing speed (Green, 2006). Even at the stage of first‑episode psychosis, cognitive deficits can be comparable to those observed in chronic schizophrenia, contributing to 40–60% of functional disability (Fett et al., 2019). For individuals with early psychosis, treatment compliance is both crucial and challenging (Leclerc et al., 2015), underscoring the need for a people‑centered cognitive rehabilitation program. Combination of cognitive remediation with Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) approach may help prevent long‑term functional decline and support recovery by addressing cognitive difficulties while promoting engagement in therapy.
Objectives :
(1) To enhance cognitive function and empower client using own strategies to cope with cognitive deficit (2) To evaluate the effectiveness of the Cognitive Rehabilitation Program
Methodology :
From September 2024 to September 2025, twelve adult outpatients with psychosis attended eight sessions of computerized cognitive training and four sessions of CO-OP-based strategy training. Pretest and posttest repeated measure design was employed and subjects use themselves as their own control. Outcome measures were categorized as: (1) Cognitive (2) Functioning (3) Qualitative Feedback.
Result & Outcome :
For cognitive outcomes, participants demonstrated significant improvement in T‑scores on the Brief MATRICS™ Consensus Cognitive Battery (B‑MCCB) (p < 0.05) and the Cognitive Assessment Inventory (CAI) (p < 0.03). For occupational functioning outcomes, there was significant improvement on the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS) (p < 0.002), the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) (p < 0.02) and the Performance Quality Rating Scale (PQRS) (p < 0.001). In qualitative feedback from the focus groups, clients highlighted the benefit of being actively engaging in collaborative problem‑solving, fostering greater self‑direction, enhanced transfer of learning to daily life, and improved mastery over their own recovery. This is the first pilot project applying the CO-OP approach in cognitive rehabilitation to individuals with psychosis. Initial findings suggest that combining cognitive remediation with CO-OP-based strategy training may yield benefits in both cognitive and occupational functioning. These preliminary findings support further investigation in larger controlled trials
