Predictors of subjective quality of life in schizophrenia patients and their relatives: A follow-up study Şizofreni Hastaları ve Yakınlarının Öznel Yaşam Kalitesini Yordayan Faktörler: Bir İzlem Çalışması
Noropsikiyatri Arsivi, cilt.47, sa.4, ss.292-296, 2010 (Scopus, TRDizin)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 47 Sayı: 4
- Basım Tarihi: 2010
- Doi Numarası: 10.4274/npa.y5521
- Dergi Adı: Noropsikiyatri Arsivi
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus, TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM)
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.292-296
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Schizophrenia, quality of life, family environment, expressed emotion
- Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Adresli: Hayır
Özet
Objective: This is a follow-up study designed to determine the predictive value of psychopathology and family-related variables in schizophrenia patients and their relatives. Methods: Forty-four schizophrenia patients and one of their relatives living with them were assessed one month and six-to-eight months after release from hospital. Sociodemographic characteristics were questioned and quality of life of patients was assessed using the World Health Organisation Quality of Life Scale Short Form, Turkish version (WHOQOL-BREF-TR), family-related variables by the Family Environment Scale (FES) and the Level of Expressed Emotion scale, disorder related variables by the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia, scales for assessment of negative and positive symptoms in schizophrenia, the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale, the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale and the Clinical Global Impression scale and insight by the Markovaand Berrios Insight Scale. Relatives of the patients were assessed by the FES, the Expressed Emotion and WHOQOL-BREF-TR scales. Results: Depressive symptoms must be taken into consideration in order to improve the quality of life in schizophrenia patients. The importance of family environment should be emphasized, recommending that family rules should be flexible, and tolerance towards the patient should be increased for stable patients to improve their quality of lives. Conclusion: No changes were observed in the quality of life levels in schizophrenia patients and their relatives in time. In the same period, a decrease was observed in positive and negative symptoms, depressive symptoms, disorder severity and conflict in family environment, while insight and functionality were improved. Statistically, the most robust predictor of patients' quality of life was found to be the severity of depressive symptoms. Additionally, greater tolerance and less conflict in the family environment and family members' support to each other have been found to be related to various domains of the quality of life. The relatives' quality of life did not show any significant change in the follow-up controls as well. The most important predictor of their quality of life was less conflict in the family environment. © Archives of Neuropsychiatry, published by Galenos Publishing.