Participant evaluation of a CBT program for enhancing work function in schizophrenia.

Objectives: While much has been written about the benefits of CBT for persons with schizophrenia, little has been published to date exploring participant evaluations of these programs. This paper reports on participant evaluations of such a program.

Methods: Forty-four participants with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were surveyed regarding their satisfaction with a 6-month weekly group and individual CBT intervention developed as an adjunct to work therapy or the control condition support group during a randomized controlled feasibility study.

Results: Results suggest that all participants, those receiving the CBT intervention and the support group, were satisfied with their program, on average rating the program between "good" and "excellent." However, in comparison, the CBT intervention was associated with greater participant satisfaction than support alone, particularly the perception of the overall quality of services and assistance with problem-solving.

Conclusions: It appears that participant evaluations can function as a source of useful data for evaluation of CBT interventions for persons who have schizophrenia. However, further study is needed to more fully identify and understand aspects of CBT that participants with schizophrenia evaluate as particularly positive or negative and to explore acceptable trade-offs among them.