Determination of Independence and Life Satisfaction Level of Individuals with Mental Disorder

The study aimed to determine the level of independence and life satisfaction of individuals with diagnosed mental disorder.

The descriptive study was conducted with 108 inpatients in two public universities, medical faculty hospitals mental health and psychiatric clinics. Personal information form, Life Satisfaction Scale, and Psychiatric Patient Independence Level Scale were used for data collection tool.

Mean age of the participants was 41.8±14.1 years. 60.2% (n=65) were male, 57.4% (n=62) were 34 years and older, 58.3% (n=63) were single, and 33.3% (n=36) were diagnosed with depression. When the distribution of the mean score of the independence level was analyzed according to the individuals' characteristics, a statistically significant difference was found in terms of age, marital status, education status, medical diagnosis, and duration of treatment (p<0.05). When the distribution of life satisfaction score averages of the individuals diagnosed with mental disorder were examined according to the individuals' characteristics, there was a statistically significant difference according to the variables of medical diagnosis (p<0.05). Thus, patients with mental disorders, had moderate dependency, had a moderate level of life satisfaction, and a negative and poor correlation was found between life satisfaction and dependence (rho=-0.306; p<0.01). As a result of the regression analysis, 10.5% of the increase in life satisfaction was determined by the independence level (R=0.324; R²=0.105; p<0.01).

It was concluded that the participating individuals had moderate independent and life satisfaction. The variables such as diagnosis, age, life satisfaction, and independence levels increased, and the level of dependence decreased.