Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of coommunication skills training (CST) on anxiety, depression, social comparison and basic conversation skills in clients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Method: 37 clients with schizophrenia followed up at Dışkapı Training and Research Hospital Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) were included in our study. The CST consisted of 12 weekly sessions lasting 1 hour. Sociodemographic Data Form, Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Social Comparison Scale and Communication Skills Scale were applied to participants before and after training. Results: Significant improvements were found on depression (p= 0.008), self-perception (p= 0.015), and basic communication skills total score (p= 0.001) in post-assesment; however no significant difference was found in terms of anxiety scores (p>0.05). Conclusion: Given the current study's findings, the comprehensive CST has proven to be an effective approach for people with schizophrenia in terms of improving depression symptoms, communication skills and developing positive self-scheme

Key words: schizophrenia, communication skills, social comparison, anxiety, depression