Abstract
Background Schizophrenia is one of the most severe, chronic, and disabling mental disorders found globally. The chronic nature of the illness significantly interferes with functioning and results in a poor quality of life, but little is known about the quality of life among schizophrenia patients, in particular in low-income countries. Therefore, we assessed the quality of life and associated factors among patients with schizophrenia attending Jimma University Medical Center, Southwest Ethiopia. Methods The hospital-based cross-sectional study design was employed to collect data from 352 study participants using a systematic random sampling technique from June to July 2018. Patients' sociodemographic characteristic, quality of life, psychopathology, medication adherence, comorbid physical illness, and substance use disorder were assessed. Data entry and analysis were done using EpiData version 3.1 and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0, respectively. Variables with a P value < 0.05 in the final multiple regression models were declared to be associated with the outcome variable. The Results. The response rate of the study was 99.7%. The mean (±standard deviation) score of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Short Version Scale was 74.34 ± 15.83. Positive symptoms, negative symptoms, general psychopathologies, comorbid physical illness, khat use disorder, tobacco use disorder, and medication nonadherence were negatively associated with patient quality of life. However, monthly income was found to be positively associated with quality of life. Conclusion and Recommendation. The mean and standard deviation of the quality of life of people with schizophrenia is found to be 74.34 ± 15.83 in this study. The social relationship domain was found with the lowest mean score. Therefore, priority interventions need to be implemented to improve the social deficits.
Highlights
Schizophrenia is one of the most severe, chronic, and disabling mental disorders found globally
In treating and managing schizophrenia, clinicians often focus on treating psychotic symptoms and ignore factors that are directly related to quality of life and prognosis of disease even though evaluation of patient’s quality of life can help a lot in improving quality of care in patients with schizophrenia [5]
A total of 351 patients with schizophrenia participated in the study
Summary
Schizophrenia is one of the most severe, chronic, and disabling mental disorders found globally. Negative symptoms, general psychopathologies, comorbid physical illness, khat use disorder, tobacco use disorder, and medication nonadherence were negatively associated with patient quality of life. Schizophrenia is a severe and chronic mental disorder characterized by a group of symptoms that include distortions of thinking and perception, cognition and psychomotor abnormalities, avolition, and apathy as well as emotional and communication and emotional difficulties [1]. It affects general health, functioning, autonomy, and subjective wellbeing and alters individuals’ perception of reality [2]. There was a shift in the concept of treatment with
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