Prevalence of nicotine dependence and its impact on quality of life and severity of symptoms in schizophrenic patients

Abstract

Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study is (1) To assess the prevalence of nicotine dependence and its impact on quality of life and severity of symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. (2) To determine the association between ND and clinical symptomatology of schizophrenia. (3) To explore the impact of ND on the quality of life (QOL) of patients with schizophrenia. Materials and Methods: The current study is a cross-sectional study done among 100-male schizophrenic patients conducted in the Department of Psychiatry, Mamata General Hospital, Khammam, Telangana, from July 2017 to December 2017. The tools used are the Fagerstrom test for ND (FTND) was administered to assess ND. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for assessing the clinical symptomatology, and the abbreviated World Health Organization QOL (WHOQOL-BREF) for assessing their QOL. Results: The prevalence of smoking in schizophrenics was 68.75%. Prevalence of ND is higher in illiterates, unemployment, nuclear family, low-socioeconomic status, and hailing from the rural background when compared to that of the nicotine nondependence. Nicotine-dependent were found to be having higher mean scores on the positive subscale and the General Psychopathology Subscale and lower mean scores on negative domain. Within the ND group, correlation testing between the FTND scores and PANSS revealed a negative co-relationship between ND and negative symptoms, whereas the correlation testing between the FTND scores and WHOQOL-BREF scores revealed a negative relationship between ND and psychological, social, and environment domains of QOL. There was a negative correlation between (a) Negative symptoms and all the domain of QOL. (b) General psychopathology and social relationships, environmental among ND. Summary and Conclusion: Nicotine-dependent patients suffer from the higher levels of symptoms and enjoy a worse QOL compared to that of the nondependent patients with schizophrenia. Bearing in mind the innumerable harms of ND, the evaluation and management of ND must become an integral aspect of the evaluation and management of patients with schizophrenia.