Investigating gender differences in quality of life and social support in patients with severe mental illnesses.

BACKGROUND: Severe mental illnesses (SMIs), including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder affect patients significantly. Gender has been identified as a key factor influencing the experience of SMIs with notable disparities in prevalence, symptoms, and treatment outcomes. Additionally, the quality of life (QoL) and social support for patients with SMIs can vary based on gender. AIMS: This study examined gender differences in QoL and social support of patients with SMIs. METHOD: Participants include 170 outpatients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder at Shafa Hospital (2021). QoL and social support were assessed using World Health Organization QoL (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire and Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (MOS-SSS), respectively. Group differences were analyzed using t-test or Mann-Whitney U test, and two-way multivariate analyses of variance explored the effect of gender and disease type. RESULTS: It was indicated that females with schizophrenia reported higher QoL than males, but the opposite was observed for bipolar disorder. Gender differences in social support were not significant among schizophrenia patients, nor between the two patient groups. However, women with bipolar disorder and multiple hospitalizations experienced lower social support and QoL compared to men. Additionally, more hospitalizations were associated with decreased QoL in both genders with schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest the need for gender- specific interventions and support policies to enhance QoL and social support in patients with SMI.

Evaluation of patient social support, caregiver burden, and their relationship with the course of the disease in patients with bipolar disorder.

BACKGROUND: Bipolar disorder is a chronic disorder that causes significant effects on the patient and exerts a significant care burden on caregivers. This study aimed to investigate the social support of patients, caregivers' burden and their impact on the clinical course of the disease. METHODS: The study included 85 patients with bipolar disorder type I and II (in the recovery phase of the disease) and their caregivers in the age range of 18 to 60 years. It was conducted in Shafa psychiatry Hospital in Rasht (Guilan, Iran, 2020). To assess social support and burden, patients and caregivers completed the Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale (MSPSS) and Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI), respectively. Clinical variables were also obtained from patients' medical records; Then ANOVA, MANOVA, Independent T-test were used to compare the data and Regression Analysis and Spearman correlation coefficient were used to find the relationships between variables. RESULTS: It was showed that increasing patient social support is associated with reducing caregiver burden. Among the clinical variables, less social support and more caregiver burden were associated with longer duration of illness (p < .0029, p < .012), decrease in last recurrence time (p < .0013, p < .0001), increased number of hospitalizations (p < .0001, r = -.43 and p < .0001, r = +.49), decreased response to treatment (p < .0001, p < .0001), and reduced follow-up (p = .001, OR = 1.12 and p = .001, OR = 0.95). CONCLUSION: The relationship between low social support and high caregiver burden and their significant effect on the disease course indicates a vicious cycle that affects patients, caregivers, and the clinical course of the disease. Therefore, it seems that interventions to break this cycle can change the situation in favor of patients and caregivers and improve the clinical course of the disease.