Quality of Life and Explanatory Models of Illness in Patients with Schizophrenia

BACKGROUND: Patients with schizophrenia hold a variety of explanatory models of illness that influence different aspects of their life including their understanding of the disease, ability to cope and sense of well-being. AIM: To study the association of explanatory models and quality of life in patients with schizophrenia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and thirty consecutive patients with schizophrenia attending a psychiatric outpatient clinic were recruited in the study and administered the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS), the modified Short Explanatory Model Interview (SEMI) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) Scale to assess severity of psychosis, explanatory models of illness, and quality of life. Sociodemographic and clinical details of patients were also recorded. Standard bivariate and multivariable statistics were employed. RESULTS: Higher quality of life scores were associated with better socioeconomic conditions and lower scores on negative and general psychopathology subscales of PANSS. Quality-of-life scores were significantly higher in patients who did not perceive their illness to have negative effects on the different domains of their functioning. CONCLUSION: Explanatory models of illness are associated with perceived quality of life in patients with schizophrenia. There is a need to focus on attitudes, perceptions and functioning, rather than symptom reduction alone, to enhance the quality of life in schizophrenia.