EPA-1230 – Social functioning and quality of life in schizophrenic outpatients

Abstract

Background Schizophrenia evolution have negative effects on social functioning, with substance abuse, low coping capacity and social-economic losses for patients and their families. Identifying and assessing the impact of social factors can create the preconditions to improve the evolution of the disease. Objectives Determining the correlation between social functions and quality of life in schizophrenic outpatients. Methods Study on 81 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and hospitalized in Craiova Mental Health Center (July 1 st , 2007–June 30 th , 2012) using Personal and Social Performance Scale and WHOQOL–BREF. Results Social-demographic data revealed the dominance of female (59.26%), average age 45.36±8.50 years, urban residence (85.18%), average educational level (49.38%), and unemployment (92.59%). There is a high incidence of paranoid schizophrenia (74.09%) with insidious onset (67.90%) between 20-29 years (50.62%) and aggressive behavior (69.14%), with 2 admissions in the last 5 years (60.50%), and poor level of social functioning (95.06%). Moderate-severe social and personal inabilities were significantly correlated with the aggressive behavior, the poor social adjustment, stationary or worsened evolution and unemployment. The assessment of the quality of life was influenced by several clinical and social-demographic variables: the number of readmissions, the patient's condition upon discharge, the patient's gender, educational level and level of social adjustment. Conclusions These correlations demonstrating the influence that social stress elements have on the schizophrenic outpatient's quality of life representing the genuine risk factors for unfavorable evolution.