A Pathway to Excellence

Mindfulness improves theory of mind in people experiencing psychosis: A pilot randomized clinical trial

Impaired Theory of Mind (ToM) ability is a core feature of psychotic disorders that challenges psychosis treatment. We aimed to explore the effect of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention (MBI) on ToM ability in a randomized clinical trial (RCT). A sample of 36 participants diagnosed with psychotic disorder were recruited from a community center and randomly allocated to Integrated Rehabilitation Treatment (IRT) or IRT+MBI. ToM skills were assessed through the Hinting Test and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET). IRT+MBI scored higher in RMET than IRT at posttreatment. MBI is a promising tool for improving ToM ability in psychosis.

Clinical symptoms and personality traits predict subpopulations of treatment-seeking substance users

BACKGROUND

The heterogeneity of treatment-seeking substance users represents a challenge, as most studies include participants having problems with specific substances or merge polysubstance users into the same category without considering differences between profiles. Considering the inconsistent literature on predictors of treatment outcomes, this study aimed to identify subpopulations of individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) and analyze the association among class membership, previous relapses, and treatment retention.

METHODS

The study recruited a total of 159 participants (mean age = 40.60, SD = 8.70; 85.5% males) from two treatment facilities (outpatient daycare and inpatient residential centers). The baseline assessment gathered lifetime and current substance use, and personality and psychopathology measures. The study performed a latent class analysis to identify subpopulations of substance users and explored predictors of class membership using a multinomial regression analysis.

RESULTS

The study found six different classes of substance users based on their diagnosis and pattern of substance use: class 1 (6.92% of participants): individuals with cannabis as primary substance, alcohol/cocaine as secondary substance and additional use of stimulants or other drugs; class 2 (30.82%): cocaine as primary substance, alcohol as secondary and additional cannabis use; class 3 (20.13%): alcohol as primary substance, cocaine as secondary and additional cannabis use; class 4 (17.61%): cocaine as primary substance, cannabis as secondary and additional alcohol/other drugs use; class 5 (16.35%): alcohol as primary and cannabis as secondary substance; class 6 (8.18%): heroin as primary substance, cocaine as secondary and additional alcohol use. Several traits and clinical symptoms predicted distinct class memberships. Participants pertaining to class 6 presented the highest number of relapses (M = 2.54, SD = 1.56).

CONCLUSIONS

These results have several clinical implications. Belonging to class 6 was associated with a greater number of previous relapses. Also, specific psychopathological symptoms and personality traits may impact SUD treatment response, which may help clinicians to guide initial assessment and treatment allocation.