Evaluation of social autonomy of schizophrenic patients

INTRODUCTION: Schizophrenia is a debilitating and mutilating mental illness, generally progressing in a Chronic way . It is at the origin of a limitation of social autonomy and source of psychological distress . OBJECTIVES: evaluate the effective social autonomy of schizophrenic patients. METHODS: it is a cross-sectional study carried out at the EPS psychiatry consultation in Mahdia during a period of 3 months, with schizophrenic patients meeting the DSM 5 criteria, having an age varying from 19 to 65 years and whose duration of evolution was at least of one year. Have been excluded those in a state of decompensation, presenting a severe organic disease or having a major cognitive impairment. Information was collected from patients and fromtheir medical records using a pre-established questionnaire. The scale of social autonomy (EAS) of Legay with 17 items grouped into 5 dimensions was used for the evaluation. RESULTS: The general characteristics of the 360 schizophrenic patients who met the inclusion criteria, revealed an average age of 40.2 years, a sex ratio of 2.33, a majority of single (55.8%), a low level of education(66.7%), an absence of professional activity (67.3%) and a deteriorated socioeconomic level (68.6%).Clinical Characteristics noted an average onset age of the disorder of 26 years, an average duration of evolution of 14 years and a preponderance of the residual type and of the episodic evolutionary course with residual symptoms between episodes respectively in 40.6 and 76.4%. The average of EAS scores were 39.08. Three quarters of the population (75.7%) had a score below 59. 24.3% of patients had scores between 60 and 108 signifying impaired social autonomy. CONCLUSIONS: The evaluation of effective social autonomy is essential for any therapeutic project considering psychosocial integration and rehabilitation of schizophrenic patients. DISCLOSURE OF INTEREST: None Declared