Pilot Study to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Online Familiar Metacognitive Training (MCTf)

Pilot Study to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Online Familiar Metacognitive Training (MCTf) in Mothers With Psychosis and Their Adolescent Children

The objective of this study is to adapt and evaluate the efficacy of Familiar Metacognitive Training (MCTf) in mothers and adolescent children in a group context with the main purpose of improving family relationships, cognitive awareness and symptoms of women with psychosis and the knowledge of the disease by the children. Secondary objectives: to evaluate the improvement in metacognition and social cognition, symptoms, protective factors and self-perception of stigma.

This is a randomized clinical trial will be carried out in which a group of mothers with psychosis and their adolescent children (between 12 and 18 years old) will receive the MCTf online and the other group will receive the treatment as usual. In total, 48 mothers and their children will be recruited from a total of 11 adult mental health care centers. Mothers will be evaluated with cognitive insight scales, other metacognitive and social cognition scales, symptoms, family and social functioning, protective factors (self-steem, resilience, and coping strategies) and self-perceived stigma. The adolescent children will be evaluated with symptoms, metacognition and social cognition, family and social functioning, knowledge of the mother´s illness and protective factors scales. The will be assessed at 2 times: baseline and post-therapy. The Metacognitive training is a group psychological intervention that has demonstrated its efficacy in improve symptoms, insight, metacognition and cognition in people with psychosis. Our hypothesis is that MCTf will be help the adolescents to better understand their mother´s thoughts and their understanding of metacognition and, consequently, to decrease anxiety and depressive symptoms.Furthermore, the investigators expect an increase in familiar and social functioning, as well as in protective factors such as: self-steem, resilience and coping strategies.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Presence of one of the following diagnoses according to DSM-V criteria: schizophrenia, unspecific psychotic disorder, schizoaffective disorder, delusional disorder, brief psychotic disorder, schizophreniform disorder.
• Mother of one o more adolescent (12-18 years old).
• Psychopatological stability in the previous 3 months.(without medication changes).

Exclusion Criteria:

• Head injury or intellectual disabillity (premorbid IQ <=70)
• Present scores on the PANSS >= hostility, lack of cooperation or suspiciousness, to guarantee a good relationship in the group.
• Patients with substance dependence disorder.

Inclusion/exclusion criteria of adolescents are: 1.age between 12 and 18 yerars old, 2. interested in the group. Exclusion criteria: Head injury or intellectual disabillity (premorbid IQ <=70).