The Effectiveness of Psychosocial Rehabilitation on Illness Perception, Autonomic Arousal Readiness, and Emotional Balance in Patients with Schizophrenia

Abstract

Introduction and Aim: The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of psychosocial rehabilitation on illness perception, autonomic arousal readiness, and emotional balance in patients with schizophrenia.

Methodology: This was a quasi-experimental study using a pre-test–post-test design with a control group and three-month follow-up. The study population consisted of men aged 25–55 years with mild schizophrenia attending Iranshahr Comprehensive Chronic Psychiatric Care Center in Qaemshahr in 2024. Using G*Power, a sample of 30 participants was selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to the experimental (n=15) and control (n=15) groups. The experimental group received 12 sessions of 60-minute psychosocial rehabilitation. Data were collected using the Illness Perception Questionnaire (Broadbent et al., 2006), the Autonomic Arousal Readiness Questionnaire (Korn, 1998), and the Bradburn Emotional Balance Scale (1969). Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc test in SPSS-18.

Findings: Repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant main effects of time, group, and time × group interaction for all study variables (p<.001). Illness perception significantly improved in the experimental group at post-test and follow-up (F=45.72, η²=.76), while no significant change was observed in the control group. Autonomic arousal readiness significantly decreased in the experimental group (F=39.18, η²=.73), remaining stable in the control group. Emotional balance showed a marked improvement, with positive affect increasing (F=14.53, η²=.51) and negative affect decreasing significantly (F=22.46, η²=.62). Bonferroni post-hoc tests confirmed that these changes were sustained at follow-up.

Conclusion: Psychosocial rehabilitation is an effective intervention to enhance illness perception, reduce autonomic arousal readiness, and improve emotional balance in patients with schizophrenia. These findings highlight the importance of multidimensional interventions in the treatment and rehabilitation of schizophrenia.