Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to Assess the Effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Smoking Cessation and Reduction of Psychotic Symptoms in Patients With Schizophrenia
The prevalence of smoking among people with schizophrenia (SCZ) is substantially higher at 54% to 90% (McClave et al., 2010). About half of all deaths amongst people with scz are attributed to smoking-related diseases and cancer involving the lung, the cardiovascular system, and the liver (Kely et al., 2011; WHO, 2019). Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is effective for treating psychotic symptoms and addictive behaviours. In a local randomised controlled trial comparing individual ACT to social support for smoking cessation in adult scz smokers, the self-reported quit rates in ACT group were higher than in the social support group (6 months: 12.3% vs. 7.7%, p=0.56 ; 12 months: 10.8% vs. 7.7%, p=0.76; Mak, Loke, and Leung, 2021). In this study, functional neuroimaging (fMRI) will be combined with symptoms assessment in order to ascertain whether group-based ACT is effective in modifying the brain's responses in general and specifically to tobacco craving cues and resting-state functional connectivity in three time points (pre-, post-intervention, and 6-month follow-up) among people with schizophrenia.
• Individuals who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and after at least one-year followup;
• currently taking anti-psychotic medications for ≥ 3 months with good compliance;
• aged 18 years or above;
• able to communicate in Cantonese