Ray Cochrane

Bio: Ray Cochrane is an academic researcher from University of Birmingham. The author has contributed to research in topics: Mental health & Grounded theory. The author has an hindex of 19, co-authored 23 publications receiving 2855 citations.

The Social Functioning Scale. The development and validation of a new scale of social adjustment for use in family intervention programmes with schizophrenic patients.

Abstract: Social functioning as an outcome variable in family interventions with schizophrenic patients has been a relatively neglected area. The requirements of a scale of social functioning to measure the efficacy of family interventions include: the measurement of skill/behaviour relevant to the impairments and the demography of this group; the ability to yield considerable information with an economy of clinical time; and the establishment of 'comparative' need through comparison between subscales and with appropriate reference groups. Results from three samples show that the Social Functioning Scale is reliable, valid, sensitive and responsive to change.

Cognitive therapy and recovery from acute psychosis: a controlled trial. I. Impact on psychotic symptoms.

Abstract: BACKGROUND The application of cognitive therapy (CT) to psychosis is currently being developed in the UK. This paper reports a trial of CT in acute psychosis with the objective of hastening the resolution of positive symptoms and reducing residual symptoms. METHOD Of 117 patients with acute non-affective psychosis, 69 satisfied inclusion criteria and 40 proceeded to stratified randomisation. The experimental intervention involving individual and group CT was compared with a group receiving matched hours of therapist input providing structured activities and informal support; routine pharmacotherapy was provided by clinicians blind to group allocation. Patients were monitored weekly using self-report and mental state assessments during admission and over the subsequent nine months. RESULTS Both groups showed a decline in positive symptoms but this was more marked in the CT group (P < 0.001). At 9 months 5% of the CT group, v.56% of the control group, showed moderate or severe residual symptoms. CONCLUSION CT appears to be a potent adjunct to pharmacotherapy and standard care for acute psychosis. Issues concerning internal and external validity of the study and opportunities for further research are discussed.

Cognitive therapy and recovery from acute psychosis: a controlled trial. 3. Five-year follow-up.

Abstract: Background This paper describes the 5-year outcome of a cohort of patients who had received a cognitive therapy intervention during an acute episode of non-affective psychosis. Method Thirty-four out of the original 40 patients who had taken part in a randomised controlled trial of a cognitive intervention were assessed, using standardised instruments completed at entry into the study. In the original trial, half the patients received a cognitive therapy programme (CT group) and the other half received recreational activities and support (ATY group). Results At follow-up no significant differences in relapse rate, positive symptoms or insight between the groups were found, although the CT group did show significantly greater perceived ‘Control over illness’ than the ATY group. For individuals who had experienced a maximum of one relapse in the follow-up period, self-reported residual delusional beliefs and observer-rated hallucinations and delusions were significantly less in the CT than in the ATY group. Conclusion Cognitive therapy applied in the acute phase of a psychotic disorder can produce enduring and significant clinical benefits if experience of relapse can be minimised.

Factors Influencing Successful Submission of PhD Theses

Abstract: This article examines the submission rates of 3579 postgraduate research students who studied for the traditional PhD degree at a single large civic university between 1984 and 1993. An examination is made of individual factors which may have an effect on students' rate of completion, attempting to identify characteristics of the student 'most likely to succeed'. The analysis excludes intrinsic student characteristics and institutional conditions. The only factor which emerged as a reliable predictor of successful submission within a 4-year period and within a 10-year period was whether a student was researching a science-based or an arts and humanities-based subject. Gender showed no predictive effect on submission. It is suggested that success in postgraduate research study is becoming more equally likely between different student groups, especially where international students, women and older students are concerned. Some differences between successful submission in the sciences and in the arts and hum...

Cognitive therapy and recovery from acute psychosis: a controlled trial. II. Impact on recovery time.

Abstract: BACKGROUND A trial of CT in acute psychosis conducted by the authors has shown a significant impact on the rate and degree of recovery of positive symptoms, the focus of the intervention. This paper seeks to determine whether these effects generalise to other features of acute psychosis including dysphoria, insight and "low level' psychotic thinking which were not directly targeted. METHOD Measures of dysphoria, insight and psychotic thinking were taken over a six-month period following presentation for acute psychosis. Using survival analysis, time to recovery from psychosis using three definitions of increasing stringency was compared between the CT and control group. RESULTS CT was associated with a 25-50% reduction in recovery time depending on the definition used. CONCLUSION The impact of the CT intervention extended beyond positive symptoms to include insight, dysphoria and "low level' psychotic thinking. Nevertheless this kind of "clinical' recovery required a median of 20 weeks to complete. Implications for clinical models of acute care are discussed.

The MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery, Part 1: Test Selection, Reliability, and Validity

Abstract: Objective: The lack of an accepted standard for measuring cognitive change in schizophrenia has been a major obstacle to regulatory approval of cognition-enhancing treatments. A primary mandate of the National Institute of Mental Health’s Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) initiative was to develop a consensus cognitive battery for clinical trials of cognition-enhancing treatments for schizophrenia through a broadly based scientific evaluation of measures. Method: The MATRICS Neurocognition Committee evaluated more than 90 tests in seven cognitive domains to identify the 36 most promising measures. A separate expert panel evaluated the degree to which each test met specific selection criteria. Twenty tests were selected as a beta battery. The beta battery was administered to 176 individuals with schizophrenia and readministered to 167 of them 4 weeks later so that the 20 tests could be compared directly. Results: The expert panel ratings are presented for th...

The Functional Significance of Social Cognition in Schizophrenia: A Review

Abstract: Deficits in a wide array of functional outcome areas (eg, social functioning, social skills, independent living skills, etc) are marked in schizophrenia. Consequently, much recent research has attempted to identify factors that may contribute to functional outcome; social cognition is one such domain. The purpose of this article is to review research examining the relationship between social cognition and functional outcome. Comprehensive searches of PsycINFO and MEDLINE/PUBMED were conducted to identify relevant published manuscripts to include in the current review. It is concluded that the relationship between social cognition and functional outcome depends on the specific domains of each construct examined; however, it can generally be concluded that there are clear and consistent relationships between aspects of functional outcome and social cognition. These findings are discussed in light of treatment implications for schizophrenia.