Examining the impact of a group treatment using cognitive and social cognition remediation for young offenders : The justice health NSW school-link advantage pilot study

Journal article

Jones, Rene, Malouf, Peter, Talbot, Daniel, Elhindi, James, Baker, Richard and Harris, Anthony. (2025). Examining the impact of a group treatment using cognitive and social cognition remediation for young offenders : The justice health NSW school-link advantage pilot study. Early Intervention in Psychiatry. 19(1), p. Article e13560. https://doi.org/10.1111/eip.13560
AuthorsJones, Rene, Malouf, Peter, Talbot, Daniel, Elhindi, James, Baker, Richard and Harris, Anthony
Abstract

Aim
Young offenders experience higher rates of neurodevelopmental and mental health disorders than the general population, and significant access barriers to health treatment. Treatment combining Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT) and Social Cognition Remediation Therapy (SCRT) has demonstrated benefits for functional improvements and social development. However, there is limited information regarding group treatment programs in custodial settings for young offenders. This pilot study explores the effectiveness and feasibility of a group treatment program for youth offenders with cognitive deficits and mental health concerns in youth detention.

Methods
The School-Link Advantage pilot study designed and tested a 10-week group treatment program combining CRT and SCRT for young offenders in custody. The closed groups incorporated interactive activities focussed on emotional recognition and regulation skills, optimizing executive functioning, understanding values, exploring belief systems, improving relationships, and safety planning.

Results
Of the 22 male participants recruited in an Australian Youth Justice Centre, 12 completed all aspects of the treatment program, reflecting a 54.5% completion rate in a typically challenging to engage population cohort. Results demonstrated significant improvements in the ability to store and retrieve information, recognize information, and control emotions. Planning and organizing skills also showed considerable development.

Conclusions
This pilot study suggests that a combined CRT and SCRT group treatment program has the potential to effectively target cognitive challenges associated with mental health disorders in young offenders in custody. These promising outcomes suggest exploring randomized controlled trials with increased cultural sensitivity for diverse populations.

Keywordscognitive remediation therapy; group treatment program; mental health interventions; neurocognitive; remediation therapy; social cognition; youth offenders
Year2025
JournalEarly Intervention in Psychiatry
Journal citation19 (1), p. Article e13560
PublisherJohn Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd
ISSN1751-7885
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1111/eip.13560
PubMed ID38764141
Scopus EID2-s2.0-85193568606
PubMed Central IDPMC11730350
Open accessPublished as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
Page range1-8
FunderNSW Health and Education Training Institute (HETI)
Mental Health-Children and Young People (MH-CYP)
Australian Research Council (ARC)
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), Australian Government
Alto Neuroscience and Takeda Pharmaceuticals
Publisher's version
License
File Access Level
Open
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online19 May 2024
Publication process dates
Accepted08 May 2024
Deposited20 May 2025
Additional information

© 2024 The Author(s). Early Intervention in Psychiatry published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

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