Cheli, SimoneCavalletti, VeronicaLysaker, Paul H.Dimaggio, GiancarloPetrocchi, NicolaChiarello, FrancescaEnzo, ConsueloVelicogna, FrancescoMancini, FrancescoGoldzweig, Gil2024-11-222024-11-222023Cheli, Simone, Veronica Cavalletti, Paul H. Lysaker, Giancarlo Dimaggio, Nicola Petrocchi, Francesca Chiarello, Consuelo Enzo, Francesco Velicogna, Francesco Mancini, and Gil Goldzweig. "A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing a Novel Compassion and Metacognition Approach for Schizotypal Personality Disorder with a Combination of Cognitive Therapy and Psychopharmacological Treatment." BMC Psychiatry 23 (1): 113. 2023.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-04610-5https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14490/823Background Schizotypal personality disorder is characterized by a pervasive pattern of maladaptive behavior that has been associated with the liability for schizophrenia. Little is known about effective psychosocial interventions. This pilot non-inferiority randomized controlled trial aimed to compare a novel form of psychotherapy tailored for this disorder and a combination of cognitive therapy and psychopharmacological treatment. The former treatment – namely, Evolutionary Systems Therapy for Schizotypy—integrated evolutionary, metacognitively oriented, and compassion focused approaches. Methods Thirty-three participants were assessed for eligibility, twenty-four randomized on a 1:1 ratio, nineteen included in the final analysis. The treatments lasted 6 months (24 sessions). The primary outcome was change across nine measurements in personality pathology, the secondary outcomes were remission from diagnosis and pre-post changes in general symptomatology and metacognition. Results Primary outcome suggested a non-inferiority of the experimental treatment in respect to control condition. Secondary outcomes reported mixed results. There was no significant difference in terms of remission, but experimental treatment showed a larger reduction of general symptomatology (η2 = 0.558) and a larger increase in metacognition (η2 = 0.734). Conclusions This pilot study reported promising results about the effectiveness of the proposed novel approach. A confirmatory trial on large sample size is needed to provide evidence about relative effectiveness of the two treatment conditions.enAttribution 4.0 Internationalhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/CompassionEvolutionEvolutionary systems therapy for schizotypyMetacognitionSchizotypal personality disorderSchizotypyArticle