Loneliness Among in-patients Diagnosed With Schizophrenia: Its Correlates and Relations With Social Support and Satisfaction With Life

ABSTRACT

@#Introduction: Schizophrenia is one of the most serious and disabling psychiatric disorders which affect the overall patients’ life and predispose them to suffer from loneliness. The purpose of this study was to identify levels and correlates of loneliness among patients with schizophrenia. Methods: A cross-sectional design was applied to collect data about loneliness; social support from friends, family members, and significant others; satisfaction with life; and demographic and illness-related variables. A semi-structured interview with patients was employed to collect data from 230 in-patients with schizophrenia receiving treatment at a large psychiatric hospital. Results: Level of loneliness was 52.6 out of 80. Higher rates of patients (66.5%) were found within the category of moderate to high level of loneliness. Loneliness was found to be highly associated with low satisfaction with life, low social support from friends, and longer duration of treatment. Loneliness was higher in female patients, those living with other people in the house, and those with a history of drug/substance abuse. Conclusion: Loneliness was found to be in a moderate to high level. Therefore, there is a crucial need for interventional programs that aimed to decrease the feeling of loneliness and enhance satisfaction with life and social support from others among patients with schizophrenia.