Well-being in clozapine-treated schizophrenia patients: The significance of positive symptoms

作者:Brown Julia E H; Mezquida Gisela; Fernandez Egea Emilio*
来源:Comprehensive Psychiatry, 2016, 68: 140-146.
DOI:10.1016/j.comppsych.2016.04.009

摘要

Objectives: Well-being perception is seldom explored in schizophrenia patients. Recurrent limitations, such as the questionable applicability of gold standard definitions of health and well-being, and fewer tools available to assess well-being, are pronounced in this subpopulation. This cross-sectional study sought to explore potential clinical factors that may predict subjective well-being scores in chronic schizophrenia patients (N = 142) receiving clozapine treatment. Methods: The Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS) was used to measure well-being. We correlated SWEMWBS scores and 27 clinically recognized factors, spanning socio-demographics, symptom severity scores, physical health diagnosis, clozapine side effects, habits and prescribed medication. Factors with a p < 0.2 correlation were included as a predictors in a linear regression model. Results: Ten factors were included in the linear regression model, however only positive symptom severity was a significant predictor of SWEMWBS score (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: We suggest that greater levels of clinical attention given to positive symptoms compared with other symptoms and aspects of well-being, during biomedical treatment for chronic schizophrenia, may partially explain the finding that only positive symptoms significantly predicted patient perceptions of low well-being.

  • 出版日期2016-7