Journal Article

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

Mezquida, Gisela, Fernandez-Egea, Emilio, Brown, Julia E.H.

2016

Overview

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. 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. Ten factors were included in the linear regression model, however only positive symptom severity was a significant predictor of SWEMWBS score (p<0.0001). 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.

• Publisher: Elsevier Inc,Elsevier Limited
• Subject: Adult / Antipsychotic Agents - therapeutic use / Clozapine - therapeutic use / Cross-Sectional Studies / Female / Humans / Male / Middle Aged / Neuropsychological Tests / Perceptions / Psychiatry / Psychotropic drugs / Quality of life / Schizophrenia - diagnosis / Schizophrenia - drug therapy / Studies / Treatment Outcome