Predictors of Functioning Differ With Gender in Patients With Schizophrenia

Male and female patients with schizophrenia differ when it comes to predictors of functioning and quality of life, according to study results published in Community Mental Health Journal.

The study was an exploratory secondary analysis of data from a multisite study of patients with schizophrenia receiving care at Veterans Affairs medical centers. Baseline data on demographics, symptoms, social supports, and recovery was pulled from 801 surveys of patients, of whom 734 were men and 67 women. Data on quality of life and functioning stemmed from 662 surveys completed 1 year later by 604 men and 58 women.

Baseline social support, psychiatric symptoms, and recovery were not significantly different in female patients compared with male patients, according to the study.

Female gender, however, predicted higher occupational functioning at 1 year. Meanwhile, social functioning in men at 1 year was inversely related to symptom severity at baseline.

For women, but not for men, being married predicted a higher quality of life.

“These findings may inform gender tailoring of services for schizophrenia,” advised study corresponding author Nichole Goodsmith, MD, PhD, of the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System and the University of California Los Angeles, and coauthors.

Reference:
Goodsmith N, Cohen AN, Pedersen ER, Evans E, Young AS, Hamilton AB. Predictors of functioning and recovery among men and women veterans with schizophrenia. Community Ment Health J. Published online May 28, 2022. doi:10.1007/s10597-022-00979-x