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Integrating technology-based therapies into existing treatment approaches has proven useful in the endeavour to improve impaired social cognition in patients with neurological diseases. To this end, we present a novel online-based therapy programme for the treatment of impairments of social cognition (“SoCoBo”), particularly tailored for patients with acquired brain injuries (ABIs). This study was designed to investigate the online therapy's feasibility including processing time and acceptability in a healthy older sample as, according to previous studies, older individuals show subtle impairments of social cognition. Between 50 and 52 participants (depending on outcome measures) underwent pre–post assessments, completed one out of three therapy modules (emotion recognition, perspective taking, social problem-solving) over a period of four weeks (four sessions per week) and evaluated the therapy concerning feasibility, acceptability and content aspects with a newly developed questionnaire. All modules showed comparable ratings on a low to moderate level in terms of feasibility, acceptability and content aspects, which seems plausible due to the sample under investigation. Processing time of the three modules was comparable for psychoeducation (mean 17.45 min) and training sessions (mean 21.91 min). The results provided important indications for necessary adjustments regarding a subsequently completed randomized controlled trial involving patients with ABIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Acquired brain injuries (ABIs), such as traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), often entail impairments of general cognition (e.g., memory, attention or executive functions) and social cognition (e.g. emotion recognition, theory of mind [ToM], social problem-solving). The availability of fully computerized interventions targeting sociocognitive deficits specifically in neurologically impaired patients is extremely limited. Therefore, the Treatment Program for Deficits in Social Cognition and Social Competencies of the Ruhr University Bochum (SoCoBo), a fully computerized online therapy designed for ABI patients was evaluated in a randomized controlled trial involving TBI patients. Method: Sixty-four patients with TBI were randomly assigned to two groups with 43 patients fully completing either SoCoBo (N = 27) or a commercially available computerized program for cognitive rehabilitation (RehaCom®, N = 16). All participants underwent comprehensive pre-post online neuropsychological assessment and worked with their respective rehabilitation programs for four days a week during a scheduled period of 12 weeks. Results: After treatment, the SoCoBo group, but not the RehaCom® group showed significant improvements in facial emotion recognition and self-rated empathy. Moreover, in the SoCoBo group, an increase in empathy was also associated with increased life satisfaction after treatment. There were no improvements in ToM and social problem-solving. Furthermore, general cognition did not improve in any of the groups. Conclusions: SoCoBo represents an effective new online therapy for the amelioration of deficits in key domains of social cognition. Its implementation in clinical practice will serve as a meaningful addition to the existing fully computerized approaches specifically in neurological patient groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]