Factors associated with personal recovery in an outpatient sample of people with Schizophrenia in Brazil

Abstract

PurposeThis study aimed to assess the level of personal recovery and its associated factors in a Brazilian sample of people with schizophrenia. Methods This cross-sectional study comprised a non-probabilistic sample of 104 people with schizophrenia receiving outpatient care in a university psychiatric centre. Personal Recovery was measured using the short-version of the Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS), comprising 24 items. We first examined the domains of personal recovery in the study sample and their associations of with the following clinical measures were also used: the Self-Assessment of Occupational Functioning Scale (SAOF); the general psychopathology, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS); the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia; the Independent Living Skills Survey (ILSS) and the Clinical Global Impression (CGI). The mean scores of RAS domains were compared using ANOVA for repeated measures and clinical measures associated with RAS total score were identified using linear multiple regression. Significance level was p<0.05. Results RAS domains with the highest levels of recovery were “Goal/success orientation” and “Reliance on others”, while the domain “Not dominated by symptoms” presented the lowest score. Higher levels of personal recovery in general were associated only with a lower level of depressive symptoms (as measured by Calgary scale) and a higher score for occupational functioning (as measured by SAOF). ConclusionThis study replicated findings from the international literature about the domains of personal recovery and its associations with important clinical constructs. It also identified specific cultural aspects such as the importance of affective and social relationships (friends, family) for life and as support for processes recovery.