Time use of unemployed and employed single male schizophrenia subjects

The poverty and lack of social role in the lives of many people with schizophrenia seem similar to those of people in long-term unemployment, raising the possibility that there may be some commonalities in their time use and community functioning. To test this possibility, the social anxiety, time use, and activity participation patterns of 16 male schizophrenia subjects were compared with those of matched samples of 16 long-term unemployed and 16 employed male subjects. The unemployed group and the schizophrenia group participated in less occupational role activity and more passive leisure than the employed group, but the schizophrenia group participated in less social life and active leisure and slept more than both other groups. The schizophrenia group also perceived less pleasure in "pleasant events," participated in fewer such events, and reported more difficulty in social situations than both other groups. The results suggest that unemployment and a lack of social role make only a modest contribution to low social functioning of people with schizophrenia and that a time-use diary is a useful measure for quantifying the social functioning of people with schizophrenia.