Quality of Life in Patients With Schizophrenia in China Relationships Among Demographic Characteristics, Psychosocial Variables, and Symptom Severity

The aim of the current study was to examine the relationships among demographic characteristics, psychosocial variables, symptom severity, and quality of life (QOL), and the way these variables affect QOL in patients with schizophrenia living in Hubei, China. A convenience sample of 178 individuals with schizophrenia participated. The results suggest that the Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale was positively and statistically significantly correlated with employment status (r = 0.232, p < 0.01) and monthly household income (r = 0.311, p < 0.01), positively correlated with personal empowerment (r = 0.692; p < 0.001), and negatively correlated with perceived stigma (r = -0.41, p < 0.01) and symptom severity (r = -0.54, p < 0.001). Illness uncertainty was not found to have a relationship with QOL in this sample. Among all variables, personal empowerment (accounting for 22.1% of variance) was the best positive predictor, whereas symptom severity (accounting for 7.6% of variance) was the best negative predictor of QOL in patients with schizophrenia. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.