Correlates of subjective and functional outcomes in outpatient clinic attendees with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder

Abstract

Outcome in schizophrenia is multidimensional and, thus, consists of clinical,humanitarian, rehabilitative and cost domains. Accordingly, recovery is conceptualized as the ability to function in the community, socially and vocationally, as well as being relatively free of disease-related psychopathology. The present cross-sectional study examined the relationship of premorbid functioning, psychopathology, insight, attitudes toward medication and side-effects, as well as sociodemographic factors with treatment outcomes in terms of quality of life (QOL) and psychosocial functioning among 60 regular attendees of a specialized schizophrenia outpatient clinic. Both insight into the illness as well as attitudes toward treatment indicated satisfactory compliance. Premorbid school and social functioning were positively correlated with actual employment status, and premorbid social functioning was further positively correlated with QOL and global functioning. Attitudes toward treatment were positively associated with global QOL, and with the patients' living situation. Both positive and negative symptoms as well as asthenia were negatively associated with QOL, while cognitive symptoms negatively influenced occupational functioning. Older patients lived independently and/or in a partnership more often, but had a lesser likelihood of competitive employment. Our observations suggest that subjective and functional outcomes in highly compliant patients are mainly predicted by psychopathological symptoms and unchangeable sociodemographic variables.

Predictors of subjective and objective quality of life in outpatients with schizophrenia

“…32,38 Hofer et al reported that, using the cognition subscale of the PANSS, poorer cognition scores reduced the competitive employment and that PANSS cognition subscale as well as negative symptom and positive symptom were found to contribute significantly to the Global Assessment of Functioning score. 39 Consistent with these previous studies, the QLS total score and all the subscale scores of QLS except common objects and activities subscale correlated significantly with PANSS cognitive score in the present study. Although stepwise regression showed that negative factor alone significantly predicted objective QOL, cognitive function also had an apparent influence on it.…”

Differences and Similarities Between Functional and Personal Recovery in an Asian Population: A Cluster Analytic Approach

“…Which indicator is more sensitive to change? And which indicators have a stronger bearing on service users' perceived quality of life (Hofer et al, 2006;Romney, 1995;Tse, Lloyd, Penman, King, & Bassett, 2004)?…”

Determinants of objective and subjective quality of life in first-time-admission schizophrenic patients in Poland: a longitudinal study

“…Among many factors affecting objective QoL, the importance of psychopathological symptoms, especially negative and general psychopathology [5][6][7][8][9][10][11], duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) [12,13], premorbid social adjustment [6,[14][15][16], social support [17,18] and demographic variables (age, gender) [19][20][21] have been emphasised. The subjective QoL of schizophrenic patients is described as associated with depression, anxiety, negative, and-rarely-positive symptoms [10,[22][23][24][25].…”