The Effect of Sensory Room Intervention on Perceptual-Cognitive Performance and the Psychiatric Status of Schizophrenics



Shahgholi A¹ ; Noori AK¹ ; Hosseini SA¹ ; Sourtigi H² Show Affiliations
Source: Iranian Rehabilitation Journal Published:2012

Abstract

Objective: Individuals with schizophrenia show perceptual-cognitive abnormalities. Moreover, depression and anxiety are integral components of the disease most of the times. Psychiatric patients under institutional care experience lack of control and choice-making in their daily lives. Sensory room is an environment in which individuals can choose, control and explore the stimuli around them. So, they can organize their responses to their environment and restore and develop their skills, interacting through it. Method: 48 people met the study's inclusion criteria. They were evaluated with Lowenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment, Mini Mental State examination, and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Then they were randomly and equally assigned to intervention and comparison groups. The Intervention group received sensory room intervention and the comparison group had its traditional therapies. After 32 treatment sessions, 14 participants in the intervention group and 7 participants in the comparison group were excluded from the study and the tests were repeated for the remaining ones. Results: Our findings did not show a significant effect of sensory room intervention on perceptualcognitive performance and psychiatric status of people with schizophrenia (p > 0.05). In the reminding domain, however, results indicated maintenance of the skill in the intervention group (p > 0.05), and its exacerbation in the comparison group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: No significant change in perceptual-cognitive performance and psychiatric status of individuals with schizophrenia was found during the 3 month period of sensory room intervention, except for reminding which did not change significantly in the intervention group, but regressed in the comparison group after the intervention period.