The Effects of Cooking Activities and Social Skills Training on Schizophrenics - A Comparison of Cognitive Function and Social Competence -

Elements of cognitive rehabilitation (CR) involving cooking activities and social skills training (SST) were conducted with schizophrenic patients in day care and examined for efficacy. One session per week was conducted for a six-month period with six individuals in the cooking activities group and five individuals in the SST group. As a result, the cooking activities group indicated a significant improvement in working memory, verbal fluency, and overall cognitive function scores. Social competencies improved in "cleaning or tidying up of the living room" , "interpersonal relationships" , "work" , "cooperativeness" , and "understanding of procedures" . No significant changes were observed in the SST group. We propose that inclusion of CR elements in traditional occupations such as cooking is effective for treatment of cognitive impairment in schizophrenics.