Title : Loneliness among inpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia
Abstract:
Patients with schizophrenia suffer from loneliness, inadequate social support, and low levels of satisfaction with life, which make them more vulnerable to relapse and exacerbate of their symptoms. This study aimed at identifying the predictors and relationships of loneliness with social support and satisfaction with life. Data were collected by cross-sectional method from 230 in-patients with schizophrenia through a structured interview. The mean score of loneliness was 52.6 (SD=7.5). Two-thirds of the participants had moderate to high level of loneliness. The mean score of perceived social support was 44.86 (SD=16.84). The highest level of social support perceived from significant others. The mean score of satisfaction with life was 17.12 (SD=7.73). Three variables (satisfaction with life, social support from friends, and duration of treatment) predicted loneliness explaining 41.3% of the total variance.
Addressing loneliness and its correlated variables is very important in creating interventions that targeting patients with schizophrenia to decrease loneliness and enhance social support system and satisfaction with life.
Audience Take Away:
- Most participants with schizophrenia had moderate to high level of loneliness.
The highest level of social support perceived by patients was from significant others. Satisfaction with life, social support from friends, and duration of treatment predicted loneliness among patients with schizophrenia.
