Quality of life in stabilized patients with schizophrenia is mainly associated with resilience and self-esteem

Improving quality of life (QoL) is an important objective in the treatment of schizophrenia. The aim of the current study was to examine to what extent resilience, self-esteem, hopelessness, and psychopathology are correlated with QoL.

We recruited 52 out-patients diagnosed with schizophrenia according to DSM-IV criteria and 77 healthy control subjects from the general community. In patients, psychopathology was quantified by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. The following scales were used in both patients and control subjects: the Berliner Lebensqualitätsprofil, the Resilience Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Beck Hopelessness Scale to assess QoL, resilience, self-esteem, and hopelessness respectively.

Patients with schizophrenia presented with significantly less QoL, resilience, self-esteem, and hope compared to healthy control subjects. In patients, QoL correlated moderately with resilience, self-esteem, and hopelessness and weakly with symptoms. With respect to the latter, particularly depression and positive symptoms were negatively correlated with QoL.

Our results highlight the complex nature of QoL in patients suffering from schizophrenia. They underscore that significant efforts are necessary to enhance resilience and self-esteem and to diminish hopelessness as well as affective and positive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia.