Training schizophrenic patients to manage their symptoms: predictors of treatment response to the German version of the Symptom Management Module.

This study examined whether patient demographic and clinical characteristics were predictors of differential treatment response in a sample of 57 schizophrenic patients who received the German version of the Symptom Management Module. Psychopathology, global functioning and knowledge about schizophrenia were assessed as dependent variables. Overall, patients improved over the treatment period on most dimensions of psychopathology as well as knowledge about psychosis. There was little evidence of differential treatment response as a function of either sociodemographic or clinical variables. However, gender was related to changes in psychopathology from pre- to posttreatment, with females improving less than males. Possible implications of these findings were discussed.