Efficacy of problem solving skills training on social adjustment in patients with bipolar disorders

Mood Bipolar Disorders(BD) are associated with unstabilities in patients' interpersonal interactions which in the long term may result in impairments in their social adjustment. Problem solving skills training, both in individual and group settings have been found effective on improving social adjustment. However, few studies have evaluated the efficacy of such approaches in social adjustment of patients with BD. This study was carried to assess the efficacy of problem solving skills training in the group setting on improvement of social adjustment in patients suffering BD.

Participants were 45 female patients with BD, aged 25-30 year old who were randomly selected among patients referred to rehabilitation centers of Isfahan in 2006. Participants were randomly assigned to two intervention and one control groups. In the first intervention group only patients received the education but in the second one along with patients, family members separately received the training too. No training was performed for control group. BD diagnosis was confirmed according to two psychiatrists' and the author's diagnostic interviews. In all three groups patients remained on their medications during the study. Wineland Social Adjustment Test were administered to the three groups before the intervention and then interventions groups received problem solving skills training by Hawthorn method in ten sessions. Wineland Social Adjustment test were again administered to patients of the 3 groups after the last intervention session and also later as a follow up post-test. Data were analyzed through SPSS-software using ANCOVA tests.

After intervention, social adjustment mean scores were significantly higher in both intervention groups than in the control group (P

Group problem solving skills training can improve social adjustment in patients with BD. This intervention can be considered as a part of these patients' treatment protocol in the long term.