A Telerehabilitation-Based Life Balance Training Program for People with Schizophrenia: A Pilot Study

Abstract

This pilot study examined the preliminary effects of a telerehabilitation-based Life Balance Training (LBT) program on life balance and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) in individuals with schizophrenia. Twelve adults with schizophrenia were allocated to an intervention group (n = 6) receiving eight weeks of telerehabilitation-based LBT plus standard care, or a control group (n = 6) receiving standard care only. Life balance and IADL were assessed pre- and post-intervention with the Life Balance Inventory (LBI) and the Lawton–Brody IADL Scale. Between-group post-intervention differences were explored using the Mann–Whitney U test. In the intervention group, the mean IADL score increased from 12.3 to 14.3 and the mean LBI score from 1.27 to 1.44, whereas the control group remained largely stable on IADL (13.3 at both time points) and showed a slight decline on LBI (1.37 to 1.29). Between-group differences after the intervention did not reach statistical significance (IADL, p = 0.155; LBI, p = 0.332). Telerehabilitation-based LBT appears feasible and shows promising trends, but the small, non-randomized, unblinded sample without follow-up precludes firm conclusions; larger randomized trials are warranted.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07131137