An interventional study of Action-Based Cognitive Remediation in Psychiatric Disorders, Depression - Major Depressive Disorder and Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders, sponsored by The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. Not yet recruiting. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 60 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-04-20.
Sponsored by The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Psychiatric conditions are each defined by different set of symptoms, however, they often share common characteristics such as impairments in cognitive and social functioning. These impairments can cause significant distress and disrupt daily functioning by preventing individuals from actively participating in school or work, maintaining healthy relationships with others, and engaging in everyday activities independently. The goal of this clinical trial is to examine if action-based cognitive remediation (ABCR) therapy, a type of cognitive training program, works to treat cognitive impairments in participants with psychiatric disorders.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
Researchers will compare how much the thinking skills of participants change during an 8-week waiting period (where they get no treatment) to how much they change during the 8-week training program to see if the training makes a bigger difference in helping them think and live better.
Participants will :
1,740 studies on the registry are indexed under Mental Disorders; 348 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 160 is above the median of 100 across 1,301 interventional studies indexed under Mental Disorders.
Browse Mental Disorders studies →The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre is the lead sponsor of 22 studies on the registry; 16 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Behavioral: Action-Based Cognitive Remediation
Action-Based Cognitive Remediation (ABCR) is a type of cognitive remediation therapy, an intervention that focuses on mitigating cognitive deficits to enhance everyday functioning through behavioural learning strategies. The goal of ABCR is to increase real-world transferability of cognitive skills onto daily functioning through group discussions and computerized exercises. ABCR programs typically last 10 weeks with 2-hour sessions usually twice per week. Participants get placed into groups of 4-6 people with two therapists. Each session involves computer-based exercises and group discussion of cognitive strategies related to the theme of the day. Participants then role-play everyday functional tasks (e.g., meal planning, scheduling appointments) that reflect the focus of the session. Sessions conclude by linking content to individual goals and identifying cognitively challenging daily activities to practice between sessions.
Change from Baseline in neurocognitive performance from baseline to post-intervention, relative to change observed during the 8-week wait-list period (Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry)
Investigators will assess cognitive functioning using the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry, from which a composite score will be calculated to represent overall cognitive performance. The test is comprised of five subscales: the Verbal Learning Test scores range from 0-30, the Working Memory Test scores range from 0-24, the Verbal Fluency scores represent number of correct responses with no fixed maximum score, the Verbal Learning Test-Delayed scores range from 0-10, the Processing Speed Test scores range from 0-30.
Time frame: Participants complete the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry at baseline, 1 week post-waiting period, 1 week post-intervention, and 3-months post-intervention
Change in Social Cognition from Baseline to Post-Intervention Relative to the 8-Week Wait-List Period (Brief Social Cognition and Emotional Processing)
Investigators will assess social cognition using the Brief Social Cognition and Emotional Processing assessment. The Brief Social Cognition and Emotional Processing includes tasks assessing emotional processing and social cognitive abilities. Scores are calculated based on participant performance on the assessment tasks, with higher scores indicating better social cognitive performance. Scores below 60 suggest impaired social cognition and functional impairment, whereas scores of 60 or above suggest intact social cognitive functioning.
Time frame: Participants complete the BSCOPE at baseline, 1 week post-waiting period, 1 week post-intervention, and 3-months post-intervention.
Change from Baseline in Community Functioning from Baseline to Post-Intervention, Relative to Change Observed During the 8-Week Wait-List Period (Role Functioning Scale)
The investigators will measure community functioning through the Role Functioning Scale. Each of the 4 items of the Role Functioning Scale is scored on a scale of 1 to 7. The total score is from 4 to 28 with a higher score indicating greater community functioning.
Time frame: Participants complete the Role Functioning Scale at baseline, 1 week post-waiting period, 1 week post-intervention, and 3-months post-intervention.
Change from Baseline in Goal Attainment from Baseline to Post-Intervention, Relative to Change Observed During the 8-Week Wait-List Period (Goal Attainment Scaling)
The investigators will measure individualized goal achievement using Goal Attainment Scaling. Participants identify personal goals at baseline, and attainment of each goal is scored on a standardized scale ranging from -2 to +2, where higher scores indicate greater goal attainment.
Time frame: Participants complete Goal Attainment Scaling at baseline, 1 week post-waiting period, 1 week post-intervention, and 3-months post-intervention.
Change from Baseline in Social and Occupational Functioning from Baseline to Post-Intervention, Relative to Change Observed During the 8-Week Wait-List Period (Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale)
The investigators will measure social and occupational functioning using the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS). The SOFAS is scored on a scale from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better social and occupational functioning.
Time frame: Participants complete the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale at baseline, 1 week post-waiting period, 1 week post-intervention, and 3-months post-intervention.
Feasibility of the intervention
The investigators will measure the feasibility of the intervention through a structured interview with participants using the RE-AIM dimensions and CFIR Hybrid Framework
Time frame: Participants will conduct a structured interview 1 week-post intervention
Acceptability of the intervention
The investigators will measure the acceptability of the intervention through a structured interview with participants using the RE-AIM dimensions and CFIR Hybrid Framework
Time frame: Participants will conduct a structured interview 1 week post-intervention
Change from Baseline in Negative Symptom Severity from Baseline to Post-Intervention, Relative to Change Observed During the 8-Week Wait-List Period (Positive and Negative Severity Scale)
The investigators will measure symptom severity through the brief version of the brief version of the Positive and Negative Severity Scale (PANSS-6). Each of the 6 items of the PANSS-6 is rated on a scale of 7 points and the total score ranges from 6 to 42 with higher scores indicating more severe symptoms of a psychotic disorder.
Time frame: Participants complete the brief version of the Positive and Negative Severity Scale at baseline, 1 week post-waiting period, 1 week post-intervention, and 3-months post-intervention.
Change from Baseline in Symptom Severity from Baseline to Post-Intervention, Relative to Change Observed During the 8-Week Wait-List Period (Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale)
The investigators will measure anxiety symptom severity using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A). The HAM-A consists of 14 items rated on a scale from 0 to 4. The total score ranges from 0 to 56, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety symptom severity.
Time frame: Participants complete the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale at baseline, 1 week post-waiting period, 1 week post-intervention, and 3-months post-intervention.
Change from Baseline in Symptom Severity from Baseline to Post-Intervention, Relative to Change Observed During the 8-Week Wait-List Period (Patient Health Questionnaire-9)
The investigators will measure depressive symptom severity using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). The PHQ-9 consists of nine items rated on a scale from 0 to 3. The total score ranges from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating greater depressive symptom severity.
Time frame: Participants complete the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 at baseline, 1 week post-waiting period, 1 week post-intervention, and 3-months post-intervention.
Change from Baseline in Cognitive Motivation from Baseline to Post-Intervention, Relative to Change Observed During the 8-Week Wait-List Period (Cognitive Motivation Scale)
The investigators will measure cognitive motivation using the Cognitive Motivation Scale. The scale produces a total score representing the participant's level of motivation for cognitive engagement, with higher scores indicating greater cognitive motivation.
Time frame: Participants complete the Cognitive Motivation Scale at baseline, 1 week post-waiting period, 1 week post-intervention, and 3-months post-intervention.
Change from Baseline in Self-Esteem from Baseline to Post-Intervention, Relative to Change Observed During the 8-Week Wait-List Period (Self-Esteem Rating Scale)
The investigators will measure self-esteem using the short form Self-Esteem Rating Scale. The scale produces a total score representing the participant's level of self-esteem, with higher scores indicating greater self-esteem.
Time frame: Participants complete the Self-Esteem Rating Scale at baseline, 1 week post-waiting period, 1 week post-intervention, and 3-months post-intervention.
No study locations are listed for this record.
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Apr 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre