Date of Award

12-1990

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Psychology

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

Problem-solving skills were taught to aggressive and frequently secluded chronic schizophrenic inpatients of a psychiatric hospital. A pre-intervention/post-intervention experimental-control group design was utilized. Eighteen patients were randomly assigned to three groups: six were assigned to the “treatment group” and received problem-solving skills training involving instructions, modeling, feedback, role-playing and social reinforcement; six were assigned to the “interaction” group, involving social interactions with the trainer only; and six were assigned to the “control” group, involving no treatment or interaction with the trainer. Improved problem-solving skills on both familiar and novel video-taped skits were observed for the treatment group, but not for the interaction only or control groups. Maintenance of the problem-solving skills was evaluated for one month following completion of the training program. Problem-solving skills training did not appear to translate into improved problem solving behaviors with respect to daily activities on the psychiatric unit.

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