Relationships Between Satisfaction with Occupational Factors and Health-related Variables in Schizophrenia Outpatients

Background: The purpose of this study was to explore relationships between satisfaction with occupational factors, operationalized as occupational status and the total daily occupational situation, and health-related variables among people with schizophrenia. The health-related variables included quality of life, perceived control, sense of coherence, and psychopathology. Gender differences in these relationships were explored as well.

Methods: A sample of 74 individuals, aged 20-55 years, from outpatient psychiatric services were recruited to the study. A variety of interviews and self-rating scales were used in the data collection.

Results: When controlling for depressive symptoms, the results showed that satisfaction with employment status was of significance for health among patients with schizophrenia, but satisfaction with the total daily occupational situation seemed to be even more important to quality of life and other health-related aspects. In particular, satisfaction with daily occupations constituted an important dimension for self-rated quality of life. Some minor sex differences could be discerned in the pattern of associations.

Conclusions: The strong association between satisfaction with daily occupations and self-rated quality of life adds a new dimension to the understanding of quality of life for this group of subjects, and suggests that helping to organise an individual's daily occupations ought to be a significant task in planning for psychiatric services.