Meta-Analysis
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Nov 16, 2023; 11(32): 7822-7832
Published online Nov 16, 2023. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i32.7822
Analysis of the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation for patients with chronic mental illness: A meta-analysis
Jong-Sik Jang, Seri Oh, Geonwoo Kim, Narae Lee, Hyesu Song, Jihye Park, Yushin Lee, Minji Kim, Mihwa Kwon
Jong-Sik Jang, Hyesu Song, Jihye Park, Yushin Lee, Minji Kim, Department of Occupational Therapy, Kangwon National University, Samcheok 25949, South Korea
Seri Oh, Geonwoo Kim, Department of Occupatioanl Therapy, Kangwon National University Graduate School, Samcheok 25949, South Korea
Narae Lee, Department of Occupational Therapy, U1 University, Chung-Cheong Bukdo 25949, South Korea
Mihwa Kwon, Department of Occupation Therapy, Dongnam Health University, Gyeonggi-do 16328, South Korea
Author contributions: Jang JS wrote the overall paper; Kwon M wrote the introduction, discussions, and methods, and is responsible for general contact on the paper; Oh S, Lee N and Kim G revised and supplemented the manuscript, and wrote and edited the article on methods, results, and references; Song H, Park J, Lee Y, and Kim M edited and revised the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors deny any conflict of interest.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Mihwa Kwon, PhD, Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, Dongnam Health University, No. 50 Cheoncheon-ro 74beon-gil, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do 16328, South Korea. hotwith5625@hanmail.net
Received: October 7, 2023
Peer-review started: October 7, 2023
First decision: October 9, 2023
Revised: October 21, 2023
Accepted: November 9, 2023
Article in press: November 9, 2023
Published online: November 16, 2023
Abstract
BACKGROUND

People suffering from chronic mental illness are sensitive to stressful stimuli, lack coping skills, and have low self-esteem due to problems such as social situations. They also experience depression, isolation, fear, and frustration. Due to cognitive dysfunction, people suffering from chronic mental illness have inadequate cognitive processes that lead to distorted thinking.

AIM

To confirm the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation therapy in improving cognitive function and alleviating behavioral and psychological symptoms in patients with chronic mental illness, and to identify the cognitive function that had the main effect.

METHODS

The quality of the studies was evaluated using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews criteria, and data published from 2011 to December 2022 were searched using PubMed, Cochrane, RISS, KISS, and DBpia. The keywords used in the search were “mental illness,” “cognitive rehabilitation,” “cognition,” and “mental.” A meta-analysis was conducted on the 12 selected papers.

RESULTS

The level of evidence for the 12 documents was that of a randomized experimental study. Intervention types in cognitive rehabilitation can be divided into cognitive behavior, cognitive training, cognitive rehabilitation, and computerized cognitive programs. Most of the studies were on schizophrenia, and the measurement areas were cognitive functions (e.g., concentration, memory, and executive function) as well as depression, sociability, and quality of life. As a result of the meta-analysis of each variable, the effect size for cognitive rehabilitation treatment was in the following order: Sociability, memory, concentration, executive function, quality of life, and depression. Particularly, sociability and memory exhibited significant effects.

CONCLUSION

Cognitive rehabilitation aids cognitive function and sociability in patients with chronic mental illness and can be used as evidence for cognitive rehabilitation in mental health and occupational therapy.

Keywords: Cognitive function, Mental illness, Cognitive rehabilitation, Cognitive training, Cognitive therapy, Schizophrenia, Occupational therapy

Core Tip: This study demonstrates the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation in patients with chronic mental illness, both domestically and internationally, through a meta-analysis of 12 selected papers. Cognitive rehabilitation interventions can be divided into cognitive behavior, cognitive training, cognitive rehabilitation, and computerized cognitive programs. Based on the meta-analysis of each variable, the effect size of the cognitive rehabilitation treatment was in the following order: Sociability, memory, concentration, executive function, quality of life, and depression. Particularly, sociality and memory had significant effects. We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation for each mental illness and symptom, presenting applicable evidence for clinical use.