Presence of obsessive compulsive symptoms in first-episode schizophrenia or related disorders is associated with subjective well-being and quality of life

• Published in: Early intervention in psychiatry 2013-08, Vol.7 (3), p.285-290
• Main Authors: de Haan, Lieuwe, Sterk, Bouke, van der Valk, Renate
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Male; obsessive compulsive symptom; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - complications; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - psychology; Personal Satisfaction; Psychotic Disorders - complications; Psychotic Disorders - psychology; Quality of life; Quality of Life - psychology; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia - complications; Schizophrenia - diagnosis; Schizophrenic Psychology; subjective experience
• ISSN: 1751-7885; 1751-7893
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-7893.2012.00377.x

Aim The study aims to evaluate whether the presence of obsessive compulsive symptoms (OCS) in first‐episode schizophrenia patients is associated with subjective well‐being or quality of life. Methods This study used a cross‐sectional study of consecutively diagnosed patients with a first episode of schizophrenia or related disorder. Results There were 23 out of 198 (12%) consecutively assessed patients that reported co‐morbid OCS. Co‐morbid OCS were associated with a lower mean total score on a subjective well‐being scale (P ≤ 0.001), especially on the social integration subscale (P = 0.002) and emotional regulation subscale (P = 0.008), and lower scores on subjective aspects of quality of life (P = 0.043), especially concerning mental health (P = 0.001) and physical health (P = 0.002). Conclusion These results support the clinical relevance of OCS co‐morbidity in schizophrenia or related disorders and the need for research into specific interventions.