Effect of community-based reablement program on quality of life for people with schizophrenia: A randomized...

Reablement is a goal-oriented rehabilitative approach designed to enhance independence, self-sufficiency, and autonomy in daily activities. This study investigated the effects of a community-based REablement-Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (RE-IADL) program on the quality of life in people with schizophrenia. Eighty people with schizophrenia were randomized into two groups: RE-IADL (n = 40) and control (n = 40). The RE-IADL group received a 6-week intervention of instrumental activities of daily living, targeting financial management, shopping, and community mobility. The control group received conventional rehabilitation. The Schizophrenia Quality of Life questionnaire (S-QoL), with eight subscales, was administered at baseline, after the six-week program, and at a three-month follow-up. Compared with the control group, the RE-IADL group showed a significant moderate immediate effect on the physical well-being subscale after the six-week program (p = 0.016, d = 0.55) and a significant moderate long-term effect on the sentimental life subscale at the three-month follow-up (p = 0.010, d = 0.59). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in the S-QoL index and other subscales at the six-week and three-month follow-up assessments (p = 0.057-0.966). Proportions of minimal detectable change (MDC proportion) in the S-QoL index were 13-15 % for the RE-IADL group and 3-5 % for the control group at both six weeks and three months. The MDC proportions of the subscales ranged 0-18 % and 0-5 % at six weeks and 0-13 % and 0-8 % at three months in the RE-IADL and control groups, respectively. The RE-IADL program holds promise for enhancing physical health, social participation, and emotional well-being in people with schizophrenia.