Shah, Ami (9/11) Schizophrenia: the relationship between phenomenology and quality of life in elderly schizophrenic outpatients (Paul Ramirez, Ph.D.; Gary Kose, Ph.D.; Kevin Meehan, Ph.D.)
The prevalence of symptoms within the five factors of the PANSS (i.e. positive symptoms, negative symptoms, activation, dysphoric mood and autistic preoccupation) for elderly persons with schizophrenia in the community was examined in this study. Additionally, how these PANSS factors were related to the various areas that encompass quality of life (i.e. health and functioning, socioeconomic, psychological/spiritual, and family) for this particular population was also explored in this study. One hundred and twenty-six elderly schizophrenic outpatients were administered a structured clinical interview, which incorporated the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Quality of Life Index (QLI). Each of the five factors of the PANSS was significantly related to each of the subscales of quality of life, such that an increase in PANSS symptomatology predicted poorer quality of life. Additionally, dysphoric mood was shown to be the strongest predictor of overall quality of life as well as the four quality of life factors. Findings supported the notion that the Pentagonal Model of the PANSS, with the inclusion of all five factors, provided a more robust investigation of the factors that impact quality of life for this population as opposed to using the Standard Model, with only positive and negative symptoms of the PANSS, as used in previous studies. Positive and negative symptoms were not shown to be as strong of a predictor of quality of life when dysphoric mood, activation and autistic preoccupation were included in analyses. Findings did not show evidence of any differences across ethnicities and gender in relation to PANSS factors or quality of life. Findings elucidate the need for better treatment options for the elderly schizophrenic outpatient population that would account for these other more pertinent factors. Future directions of research for this population were discussed.
