A dual change model of life satisfaction and functioning for individuals with schizophrenia

Despite the notion that increases in functioning should be associated with increases in life satisfaction in schizophrenia, research has often found no association between the two. Dual change models of global and domain-specific life satisfaction and functioning were examined in 145 individuals with schizophrenia receiving community-based services over 12 months. Functioning and satisfaction were measured using the Role Functioning Scale and Satisfaction with Life Scale. Data were analyzed using latent growth curve modeling. Improvement in global life satisfaction was associated with improvement in overall functioning over time. Satisfaction with living situation also improved as independent functioning improved. Work satisfaction did not improve as work functioning improved. Although social functioning improved, satisfaction with social relationships did not. The link between overall functioning and global life satisfaction provides support for a recovery-based orientation to community based psychosocial rehabilitation services. When examining sub-domains, the link between outcomes and subjective experience suggests a more complex picture than previously found. These findings are crucial to interventions and programs aimed at improving functioning and the subjective experiences of consumers recovering from mental illness. Interventions that show improvements in functional outcomes can assume that they will show concurrent improvements in global life satisfaction as well and in satisfaction with independent living. Interventions geared toward improving social functioning will need to consider the complexity of social relationships and how they affect satisfaction associated with personal relationships. Interventions geared towards improving work functioning will need to consider how the quality and level of work affect satisfaction with employment.     

Family-directed cognitive adaptation pilot: Teaching cognitive adaptation to families of individuals with schizophrenia

ABSTRACT

Cognitive deficits are a major determinant of functional outcome in schizophrenia. A promising treatment involves teaching individuals to use cognitive adaptation strategies to minimize the functional impact of cognitive difficulties. We developed Family-Directed Cognitive Adaptation (FCA) to train caregivers to help their relatives with schizophrenia use cognitive adaptations to improve living skills. The goal of this open pilot trial was to examine the feasibility of FCA. Ten adults with schizophrenia, each with at least one relative, participated in FCA and were evaluated at baseline, posttreatment, and 6-month follow-up. Domains assessed included adaptive functioning, psychiatric symptoms, school/work involvement, hospitalizations, family burden, and treatment satisfaction. Participants reported high levels of satisfaction with FCA, and all families completed the 16-session intervention. Relatives reported reduced burden at termination and follow-up. No participants were hospitalized during the treatment or follow-up period, and rates of work/school involvement increased from 30% at baseline to 50% at the end of treatment and follow-up. Individuals improved in negative symptoms and adaptive functioning over the course of treatment, but these gains were not maintained. This pilot provides preliminary support for the acceptability and feasibility of FCA and points to the need to address the maintenance of treatment gains after termination.     

Intrinsic motivation as a predictor of work outcome after vocational rehabilitation in schizophrenia

Intrinsic motivation is a construct commonly used in explaining goal-directed behavior. In people with schizophrenia, intrinsic motivation is usually subsumed as a feature of negative symptoms or underlying neurocognitive dysfunction. A growing literature reflects an interest in defining and measuring motivational impairment in schizophrenia and in delineating the specific role of intrinsic motivation as both an independent predictor and a mediator of psychosocial functioning. This cross-sectional study examined intrinsic motivation as a predictor of vocational outcomes for 145 individuals with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder participating in a 6-month work rehabilitation trial. Correlation and mediation analyses examined baseline intrinsic motivation and negative symptoms in relation to work hours and work performance. Data support a significant relationship between intrinsic motivation and negative symptoms and significant correlations with outcome variables, such that lower negative symptoms and greater intrinsic motivation were associated with better work functioning. Moreover, in this sample, intrinsic motivation fully mediated the relationships between negative symptoms, work productivity, and work performance. These results have significant implications on the design of work rehabilitation interventions for people with schizophrenia and support a role for targeting intrinsic motivation directly to influence vocational functioning. Future directions for research and intervention are discussed.     

Hope,social relations,and depressive symptoms in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder

BackgroundRaising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may negatively impact maternal mental health outcomes. Feelings of loneliness and a lack of social support may contribute to these outcomes. One factor that may help to promote better outcomes is hope. The current study examined the associations between maternal hope, loneliness, social support, and depressive symptoms.MethodNinety-four mothers of a child with ASD participated in this online study. Mothers were predominantly Caucasian, middle class, and educated. Children ranged in age from 2 to 13 years. Mothers completed questionnaires assessing hope, loneliness, perceived social support from friends and family, and depressive symptoms.ResultsThe results of a multiple mediator model indicated that hope agency was indirectly associated with depressive symptoms via loneliness. In a follow-up serial mediation model, hope agency was associated with depressive symptoms through family support and loneliness.ConclusionsThe present study contributes to the growing body of research focusing on positive personality characteristics and mental health outcomes in mothers of children with ASD. Given that increased hopeful thinking was associated with less loneliness, the construct of hope should be given more attention in interventions that are aimed at improving maternal outcomes. Increasing hopeful thinking may be particularly important in aiding with improvement during psychotherapy for mothers with clinical levels of depressive symptoms.     

Living situation,subjective quality of life and social network among individuals with schizophrenia living in community settings

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationships between characteristics of the living situation in the community and subjective quality of life and social network among community-based individuals with schizophrenia. METHOD: A total of 418 individuals with schizophrenia from 10 sites were interviewed with regard to quality of life, psychopathology, social network and needs for care. Characteristics of the living situation investigated were: living alone or not, living with family or not, and having an independent or a sheltered housing situation. RESULTS: An independent housing situation was related to a better quality of life concerning living situation and living with the family to a better quality of life concerning family relations. An independent housing situation was associated with a better social network regarding availability and adequacy of emotional relations. CONCLUSION: People with schizophrenia with an independent housing situation have a better quality of life associated with more favorable perceptions of independence, influence, and privacy. Their social network is better irrespective of whether they live alone or not, or with family or not.     

Quality of life in schizophrenia: contributions of anxiety and depression

A number of studies have demonstrated a strong relationship between quality of life in schizophrenia and general psychopathology measures, and moreover, that the positive, negative, and disorganized symptoms are less related to quality of life. The current investigation examined the relationship between quality of life and symptomatology in 63 stabilized outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Consistent with other findings, more severe depression, as rated on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) was associated with lower general life satisfaction and lower satisfaction with daily living, finances, health, and social life. In addition, higher anxiety ratings on the BPRS were associated with less satisfaction with global quality of life, daily activities, family, health and social relationship, even when controlling for positive symptoms, negative symptoms, or depression. No other symptoms of schizophrenia were as strongly associated with subjective quality of life. Anxiety was also significantly correlated with a number of positive and negative symptoms while depression was substantially less related. These findings, suggest that more precise analyses of general psychopathology, and anxiety in particular, may be necessary to further clarify the factors involved in quality of life in schizophrenia. In addition, these findings suggest future directions for theories of affect and treatment in schizophrenia.     

Longitudinal analysis of subjective quality of life in schizophrenia: anxiety as the best symptom predictor.

We examined the relationships among changes in anxiety, depression, core symptoms of schizophrenia, and subjective quality of life (QL) longitudinally. Fifty-three stabilized outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were assessed for QL and symptoms every 3 months for a period of 1 year. Using mixed effects models, we found that changes in anxiety, as rated on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, were inversely associated with general life satisfaction and satisfaction with many specific domains. These relationships were stronger than the relationships of QL and any other core symptoms of schizophrenia, including depression. Anxiety was also related to some positive and negative symptoms. These findings support the notion that more precise analysis of general psychopathology, and anxiety in particular, is important in clarifying the factors involved in QL in schizophrenia. We explain our findings in the context of current theories of affect and suggest implications for the treatment of schizophrenia.     

Social cognition in schizophrenia, Part 2: 12-month stability and prediction of functional outcome in first-episode patients

This study evaluated the longitudinal stability and functional correlates of social cognition during the early course of schizophrenia. Fifty-five first-episode schizophrenia patients completed baseline and 12-month follow-up assessments of 3 key domains of social cognition (emotional processing, theory of mind, and social/relationship perception), as well as clinical ratings of real-world functioning and symptoms. Scores on all 3 social cognitive tests demonstrated good longitudinal stability with test-retest correlations exceeding .70. Higher baseline and 12-month social cognition scores were both robustly associated with significantly better work functioning, independent living, and social functioning at the 12-month follow-up assessment. Furthermore, cross-lagged panel analyses were consistent with a causal model in which baseline social cognition drove later functional outcome in the domain of work, above and beyond the contribution of symptoms. Social cognitive impairments are relatively stable, functionally relevant features of early schizophrenia. These results extend findings from a companion study, which showed stable impairments across patients in prodromal, first-episode, and chronic phases of illness on the same measures. Social cognitive impairments may serve as useful vulnerability indicators and early clinical intervention targets.     

Do recent-onset schizophrenia patients experience a "social network crisis"?

It has been proposed that the onset of schizophrenia creates a social network crisis, resulting in a dramatic deterioration of social resources during the period immediately following a first hospitalization from essentially normal pre-hospitalization levels. To evaluate this proposal, recent onset patients (n = 89) completed comprehensive assessments that examined their social networks in the 12 months prior to first hospitalization and, in a subset of patients (n = 34), at a 15-month follow-up. Cross-sectional relationships to social functioning and symptoms were examined at both time points. Compared to existing research, at the initial assessment patients were characterized by several network disturbances, including small network size, a high proportion of family members, and highly dense interconnections among network members; these disturbances generally remained moderately to highly stable at follow-up. Smaller social networks were related to poor current and premorbid social functioning and aspects of clinical functioning, particularly at the 15-month follow-up assessment. Thus, this first repeated assessment of social network characteristics in the early course of schizophrenia does not support the social network crisis concept. Instead, results suggest that functionally relevant social network disturbances often exist by the time of first hospitalization in schizophrenia.     

Determinants of everyday outcomes in schizophrenia: The influences of cognitive impairment, functional capacity, and symptoms

Deficits in everyday living skills and social skills are associated with the pervasive disability seen in schizophrenia. Cognitive impairments are determinants of these skills deficits and it is known that positive and negative symptoms add to the influence of cognitive impairments for prediction of real-world outcomes. This study examined the relative importance of cognitive impairments measured with a neuropsychological battery, performance-based measures of social and everyday living skills, and positive and negative symptoms for the prediction of real-world outcomes in social and residential domains. In contrast to most previous studies, we examined the importance of individual symptoms, as well as total subscale scores, for predicting clinician rated outcomes in 194 older outpatients with schizophrenia. Symptoms were rated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale; everyday living skills were measured by the UCSD Performance-based Skills Assessment; and social skills were measured with the Social Skills Performance Assessment. For prediction of real-world social outcomes, blunted affect and passive-apathetic social withdrawal accounted for all of the predicted variance, while social competence and cognitive impairments did not enter the final equation. For residential functioning, everyday living skills were the most important predictor, followed by lack of spontaneity. The positive symptoms of hallucinatory behavior and suspiciousness also predicted real-world residential outcomes. These results suggest that real-world disability is the product of a complex array of ability deficits and symptoms, indicating interventions will need to be carefully targeted. For social and everyday living outcomes, variance accounted for by the entire array of predictive variables was less than 40%, suggesting that other factors, such as social and cultural influences, are involved as well.     

Satisfaction with quality of life varies with temperament types of patients with schizophrenia

We sought to explore the relationships of three temperament factors with domain-specific subjective quality of life (QOL) of patients with schizophrenia. Ninety patients with schizophrenia were evaluated using the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Life Satisfaction Questionnaire, the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire, the Positive and Negative Syndromes Scale, the Distress Scale for Adverse Symptoms, the Insight and Treatment Attitudes Questionnaire, the Insight Self-Report Scale, and standardized questionnaires for self-reported emotional distress and stress process-related variables. Predictors of domain-specific QOL were identified using multiple regression techniques. Temperament factors explain 6% to 16% of variability in QOL domain scores among patients with schizophrenia after controlling for the remaining variables (emotional distress, social support, self-esteem, avoidance coping, age, side effects, and depression). We found that higher levels of novelty seeking are associated with better general QOL, physical health, and more positive subjective feelings, whereas higher levels of reward dependence are related to better satisfaction from social relationships. Higher levels of harm avoidance are associated with poorer satisfaction with general activities, and medication. Thus, temperament factors, as assessed by the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire, substantially influence satisfaction with life quality in schizophrenia. Novelty seeking, reward dependence, and harm avoidance are associated with different domains of QOL.     

Housing Model for Persons with Serious Mental Illness Moderates the Relation Between Loneliness and Quality of Life

This study compared levels of loneliness, quality of life (QOL) and social support among people with serious mental illness (SMI) living in two different types of housing: group homes and supportive community housing. Forty persons with SMI living in supportive community housing and 57 living in a group home completed measures of QOL, symptoms, perceived social support and loneliness. Analysis of variance tests were conducted to examine whether there were differences in degree of loneliness, QOL and social support between the groups living in the two residential types. No significant differences between the two housing models were found. Correlational analysis, however, indicated a strong relationship between loneliness and QOL. Subsequent regression analysis revealed that residence in group homes moderates the relationship between social loneliness and QOL, such that social loneliness impacted QOL only among group home residence. Implications of the findings for understanding the impact of housing on QOL are discussed.     

Gender specific associations between social network and health behavior in old age

Social networks may affect old people's health behaviors, such as their subjective health evaluations, health care utilization and symptom reporting. In this study, the relationships between social network characteristics and health behaviors were investigated for each gender separately. It was assumed that the relationships differ between the genders and that female health behavior would be more strongly related to the social network. Social network characteristics, reported symptoms, subjective health and health care utilization were assessed for 107 men and 77 women that were 71 years of age.The results showed that, for women, a general satisfaction with the social network was associated with good subjective health. In addition, satisfaction with social participation and social anchorage were associated with a high frequency of health care utilization. For men, none of these health-related behaviors were bivariately associated with the social network. Furthermore, for women, the frequency of reported symptoms were more often associated with social network characteristics. Multivariate analyses showed that for women, dissatisfaction with social participation and support from the neighborhood predicted stomach symptoms. For men, dissatisfaction with instrumental support and contact with children predicted tension symptoms. This study suggests that health behaviour relates both to social network and gender.     

Cognitive and symptom predictors of work outcomes for clients with schizophrenia in supported employment

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the relationships of measures of cognitive functioning and psychiatric symptoms with work outcomes and use of vocational services for clients with schizophrenia in a supported employment program. METHODS: Thirty clients who were newly enrolled in a supported employment program were evaluated with cognitive and symptom measures at program entry and two years later. The clients' amounts of competitive work, wages earned, on-job support, and contact with employment specialists during the two-year follow-up period were documented. RESULTS: Predictors of clients' work outcomes included previous work history, amount of government entitlement income received, severity of negative symptoms, involvement in sheltered work activity at baseline, and level of cognitive functioning, including scores on measures of executive functioning and verbal learning and memory. The amounts of on-job support and contact with employment specialists were predicted by the cognitive domains of executive functioning, verbal learning, attention, and psychomotor speed as well as by the severity of psychotic symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Clients with schizophrenia who have higher levels of cognitive impairment may require greater amounts of vocational support than those with lower levels of impairment. A variety of rehabilitation strategies may be required to improve vocational outcomes and reduce the amount of supported employment services needed by clients with schizophrenia.     

Biosocial pathways to functional outcome in schizophrenia

Biosocial models are preeminent in the study of schizophrenia, yet there has been little empirical testing of these models.

Objective

This study provided the first test of a biosocial causal model of functional outcome in schizophrenia, using neurocognition, social cognition, social competence and social support as predictors of both global and specific domains of functional outcome.

Method

The design used baseline variables to predict both concurrent functional status and prospective 12-month functional outcome. Subjects were recruited upon admission to outpatient community-based psychosocial rehabilitation programs shown in previous studies to be effective in improving functional outcomes. 139 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder participated in the study; 100 participants completed the 12-month assessments. Face-to-face interviews assessed neurocognitive functioning (with five neuropsychological measures), social cognition (as perception of emotion), social competence, social support, and functional outcome which consisted of items covering the domains of social, independent living, and work functioning.

Results

Path analysis modeling showed that the proposed biosocial models had strong fit with the data, for both concurrent and 12-month global functional outcomes, with fit indices ranging from .95 to .98. The model explained 21% of the variance in concurrent global functional outcome, and 14% of the variance in 12-month prospective outcome.

Conclusions

The support for this model was strong, and it has implications for understanding the causal factors related to functional outcome, as well as for intervention strategies for improving functional outcomes in schizophrenia.     

The burden of depressive symptoms in the long-term treatment of patients with schizophrenia

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively measure the link between depressive symptoms and functional outcomes in the long-term treatment of people with schizophrenia. METHODS: Data were drawn from a large, multi-site, 3-year, prospective, naturalistic, observational study, in which subjects with schizophrenia were assessed at enrollment and at 12-month intervals thereafter. Individuals who were "Depressed" (defined as a total score > or =16 on the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale) at enrollment were compared to those "Non-depressed" on functional outcomes, using self-report measures, clinicians' ratings, and information from medical records. Statistical analyses included Generalized Estimation Equation and mixed regression analyses adjusted for individual characteristics. Longitudinal group comparisons across the 3-year study were augmented with a cross-sectional group comparison at enrollment. RESULTS: At enrollment, 39.4% (877/2228) of the participants were deemed Depressed. Across the 3-year study, the depressed cohort was significantly more likely than the Non-depressed to use relapse-related mental health services (emergency psychiatric services, sessions with psychiatrists); to be a safety concern (violent, arrested, victimized, suicidal); to have greater substance-related problems; and to report poorer life satisfaction, quality of life, mental functioning, family relationships, and medication adherence. Furthermore, changes in depressed status were associated with changes in functional outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: People with schizophrenia and concurrent depressive symptoms have poorer long-term functional outcomes compared to the Non-depressed. Their poorer quality of life, greater use of mental health services, and higher risk of involvement with law enforcement agencies underscore a need for special treatment interventions. Treatment of the non-psychotic dimensions of schizophrenia is a critical part of recovery.     

Improved insight affects social outcomes in involuntarily committed psychotic patients: A longitudinal study in the Netherlands

Background

Lack of insight in schizophrenia is associated with negative social outcomes mediated by symptom severity, but longitudinal studies show contradicting findings.

Method

After commencement of court-ordered admission, adult patients were enrolled in a prospective study. A relatively homogeneous group of 133 patients with schizophrenia or related psychotic disorders was selected to evaluate the impact of illness insight and symptom severity on social outcomes. Interviews at baseline and after 6 and 12 months included objective and subjective indicators of insight and social outcomes. Multilevel analyses were used to estimate the effect of insight and change in social outcomes controlling for symptom severity.

Results

In 12-month follow-up, patients involuntarily hospitalized showed improvement in illness insight, symptom level, and social functioning, and had stable quality of life scores. Illness insight was associated with change in outcomes, independent from symptom severity. Results of the change analyses suggest that in time the association between insight and functioning becomes stronger. In contrast, insight scores were negatively associated with self-report quality of life ratings and markedly ill patients had a more negative perception of their quality of life.

Conclusions

Improvement in illness insight was associated with improvement in social functioning, but this was not reflected in improved self-perceived quality of life. Illness insight could result in worrying about relationships, living situation, health and finances. For severely mentally ill patients additional strategies must be found to improve social outcomes. Researchers should be more aware of varying effects for researcher-rated versus self-report indicators of insight and social outcome.     

Ten-year recovery outcomes for clients with co-occurring schizophrenia and substance use disorders

The long-term courses of people with schizophrenia and of those with substance use disorder have been studied separately and extensively. The long-term course of clients with co-occurring schizophrenic and substance use disorders has, however, not been examined. This article reports 10-year outcomes for 130 clients with co-occurring schizophrenic and substance use disorders in the New Hampshire Dual Diagnosis Study. In addition, we report on 6 "recovery outcomes," identified by dual diagnosis clients, as examples of positive coping behaviors. Longitudinal data were modeled using generalized estimating equation (GEE) methods. Participants improved steadily over 10 years in the outcome domains of symptoms, substance abuse, institutionalization, functional status, and quality of life. Further, at the 10-year follow-up, substantial proportions were above cutoffs selected by dual diagnosis clients as indicators of recovery: 62.7% were controlling symptoms of schizophrenia; 62.5% were actively attaining remissions from substance abuse; 56.8% were in independent living situations; 41.4% were competitively employed; 48.9% had regular social contacts with non-substance abusers; and 58.3% expressed overall life satisfaction. These 6 outcomes were only weakly interrelated over time, suggesting that recovery, as defined by clients, is a multidimensional concept. Overall, the 10-year findings on recovery outcomes provide a hopeful long-term perspective for dual diagnosis clients.     

Influencing factors of loneliness among older adults in China: a systematic review and meta-analysis

China has a large and rapidly growing older population. Loneliness is associated with a range of negative health outcomes in older adults. However, to date, there is still a lack of comprehensive and systematic evidence on the factors influencing loneliness among older adults in China. Nine Chinese and English databases were searched by computer from inception to March 2022: China Knowledge Network, WanFang Data, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, SinoMed, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library. Studies on factors influencing loneliness among older adults in China were included. Two reviewers independently completed the literature screening, quality evaluation, and data extraction, and statistical analyses were performed using Review Manager 5.4 software. A total of 15 studies were included in the review, with 47 066 participants in total. Fifty-nine influencing factors of loneliness in older Chinese were involved. Twenty factors with a total of 30 subfactors that were involved in two or more studies and with extractable data were included in the data synthesis. Eleven subfactors were not statistically significantly associated with loneliness, namely, male, female, lower age, higher education level, health status—fair, health status—poor, social support—none/low, no health insurance, smoking, alcohol consumption, and body mass index—overweight and above (all P > 0.05), while the remaining 19 subfactors (concerning 15 factors) were significantly associated with loneliness in older adults in China (all P < 0.05). This study suggested that age, education level, marital status, living arrangement, having (no) children, receiving family support, relationship with family members, being with or without chronic diseases, health status, activities of daily living, social support, social activities, financial status, satisfaction with housing conditions, and the decision-making right for major household expenditures were the main influencing factors of loneliness among older adults in China.     

Communication abnormalities predict functional outcomes in chronic schizophrenia: differential associations with social and adaptive functions

Communication abnormalities are hallmark features of schizophrenia. Despite the prevalence and persistence of these symptoms, little is known about their functional implications. In this study, we examined, in a sample of chronically institutionalized schizophrenia patients (N=317), whether two types of communication abnormalities (i.e., verbal underproductivity and disconnected speech) had differential relationships with social and adaptive outcomes. Baseline ratings of verbal underproductivity, disconnected speech, global cognitive performance, and clinical symptoms, were entered into stepwise regression analyses to examine their relationship with 2.5 year social and adaptive outcomes. At baseline, disconnected speech was significantly associated with socially impolite behavior, while verbal underproductivity was associated with social disengagement and impaired friendships. Both types of communication abnormalities were significantly associated with other types of social skills. Verbal underproductivity predicted follow-up social skills, social engagement, and friendships, accounting for more variance than. cognition or symptoms. In contrast to social outcomes, adaptive outcomes were predicted by baseline neurocognition and clinical symptoms, but not communication abnormalities. These findings provide evidence for specific relationships of communication disorder subtypes with diverse impairments in social functions. In this chronically institutionalized sample, communication disorder was a stronger predictor of social, but not adaptive, outcomes than neurocognition or clinical symptoms.