The Efficacy of Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention in Reducing Positive and Negative Symptoms in Adolescents with Schizophrenia:

Abstract Background: There is limited research on cognitive-behavioral interventions for treating individuals under 18 years of age with schizophrenia using single-subject methodology. Method: This study employed a single-case experimental design with a multiple baseline approach. The participants were three adolescents under 18 years old diagnosed with schizophrenia. They participated in the baseline, treatment, and follow-up phases sequentially. The sampling method was purposive. During the study, participants were assessed using the PANSS (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale) four times during the baseline phase, four times during the treatment phase, and once during the follow-up phase. Data were analyzed using graphical analysis, percentage of improvement, Cohen's d effect size, percentage of non-overlapping data (PND), and percentage of all non-overlapping data (PAND). Results: The findings indicated a significant reduction in PANSS scores for positive and negative symptoms in all three participants after the cognitive-behavioral intervention, compared to the baseline scores. Conclusion: Cognitive-behavioral therapy is effective in treating schizophrenia in adolescence, both during the intervention and follow-up phases.