Predictors of quality of life in patients with schizophrenia

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a complex syndrome that has far reaching effect on the lives of the patients afflicted with the disease. It is estimated that 1 million people in the United States carry a diagnosis of schizophrenia. An individual with the diagnosis of schizophrenia can expect to have an impoverished quality of life. Quality of life is a multidimensional concept that includes the physical, social, and emotional health of an individual. This study, using secondary data analysis, explored the demographic and clinical indicators that could be predictors of quality of life for patients with schizophrenia. Subjects in this study were patients with schizophrenia who were receiving treatment and participating in research studies in an outpatient research clinic. Instruments used in this study were the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, the Schedule for the Deficit Syndrome, and the Quality of Life Scale. The data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. Significant predictors of quality of life were found to be the demographic indicator of socioeconomic status, the clinical indicators of conceptual disorganization and the classification of the deficit syndrome.