Adaptation of the social cognition and interaction training (scit) for promoting functional recovery in chinese persons with schizophrenia in hong kong

Promoting functional recovery is a key treatment target for persons with schizophrenia. Social cognition training has emerged as an important intervention that could promote functional recovery. Social Cognition and Interaction Training (SCIT), developed in the U.S.A., is one of the evidence-based interventions that enhanced social cognitive functioning among persons with schizophrenia. This chapter describes the development process of the SCIT-Hong Kong Version since 2011, describing key modifications of the SCIT for use with Chinese populations in Hong Kong, and shared preliminary findings on effectiveness of SCIT. An expert panel of clinicians reviewed the cultural relevance and content validity of the SCIT for application in Hong Kong. Based on this review, the researcher modified and translated the content of original SCIT. Key modifications included adapting social scenarios to improve cultural relevance, and to include more local social scenarios encountered in the workplace. We also produced photos and videos using Chinese actors, and prepared a participant booklet to facilitate learning. After pilot testing and revisions, the SCIT-HK package was produced in 2015 and was incorporated as one of the recovery-oriented programs for in-, day-, and out- patients with first-episode psychosis and schizophrenia. Preliminary data analysis comparing pre- and post-test scores (N = 17) showed that participants had significant improvements in emotion perception (t = 2.47, p = .03) and theory-of-mind (t = 3.67, p = .002) after completing SCIT. Several challenges in application of SCIT in local population were observed: 1) Wide variations in neurocognitive functioning among patients in different phases of illness that affects the learning of SCIT strategies, 2) Generalization of social cognitive gains into daily life and 3) Higher attrition rates in in-patients or out-patients with first episode psychosis. Several modifications and enrichment on the SCIT curriculum were proposed to address these challenges. To address the specific needs of some higher functioning patients with first episode psychosis, we also start to develop diseasespecific SCIT protocol for this patient group.