The relationship of symptoms and level of functioning in schizophrenia to general wellbeing and the Quality of Life Scale

Objective: Reports suggesting that quality of life in schizophrenia is more highly related to negative rather than positive symptoms are largely based on use of the Quality of Life Scale which was devised to assess deficit symptoms and does not include an assessment of subjective general wellbeing. In the current paper we examined symptoms, level of community functioning as well as living circumstances as correlates of Quality of Life Scale scores and scores on the General Well-Being Scale. Method: One hundred and twenty-eight patients completed the General Well-Being Scale and were rated on the Quality of Life Scale as well as scales assessing positive and negative symptoms. Results: While negative symptoms, level of functioning and positive symptoms all were related to the scores on the Quality of Life Scale, General Well-Being Scale scores were primarily related to positive symptoms, particularly reality distortion. Conclusion: The results highlight the importance of recognizing the complex nature of the concept of quality of life. They demonstrate that varying indices of quality of life are likely to have different predictors.