Avaliação da qualidade de vida e percepção de mudança em pacientes com esquizofrenia

Factors related to psychological impairment and quality of life in patients with schizophrenia

OBJECTIVE

to describe the factors related to psychological impairment and quality of life (QoL) of patients with schizophrenia.

METHOD

a cross-sectional, descriptive and correlational study, carried out with 119 schizophrenics. A questionnaire of sociodemographic and clinical variables was applied, plus BPRS-A and QLS-BR scales. Chi-square test and Spearman's correlation were used.

RESULTS

seventy-seven were male and 44 were using typical medications. The "Number of times they were hospitalized" related to "Time of illness" that patients live with schizophrenia showed significance (p=0.266); 91.7% had a severe occupational level (n=109); 34.5% (n=41) had moderate impairment.

CONCLUSION

the greater the degree of psychological impairment, the worse the QoL, this worsening may be related to several factors, as well as disease symptoms.

Estudo das mudanças percebidas em usuários de Centros de Atenção Psicossocial do Sul do Brasil a partir de sua inserção nos serviços

RESUMO Objetivou-se identificar as mudanças percebidas por 1.597 usuários de 40 Centros de Atenção Psicossocial do Sul do Brasil, utilizando-se a Escala de Mudança Percebida - Pacientes. Na avaliação global da escala, foi evidenciada melhora em 84,9% dos sujeitos participantes do estudo. Verificou-se que os itens com maiores desempenhos de melhora foram os relativos a: problemas pessoais, interesse pela vida, humor, confiança em si mesmo e convivência com a família. Por outro lado, os itens com menores avanços foram: sexualidade, saúde física, tarefas de casa, apetite e energia. Considerando o alto índice de melhora evidenciado no item global da escala, do ponto de vista de resultados, sugere-se uma avaliação positiva do Centro de Atenção Psicossocial enquanto ponto de atenção em saúde mental.

Influence of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics on the quality of life of patients with schizophrenia

Abstract OBJECTIVE Evaluating the quality of life of Portuguese patients with schizophrenia and linking it to sociodemographic and clinical aspects. METHOD A quantitative cross-sectional study carried out with individuals affected by schizophrenia, living in the entire continental territory of Portugal, through application of a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire and the Quality of Life Scale short version (QLS7PT). Parametric and non-parametric tests were performed to evaluate the correlation between variables. RESULTS The sample consisted of 282 participants. The results point to a better quality of life for individuals living in autonomous residences or with their parents, who are employed/students, who have had the disorder for less time and are younger, who have completed the 12th grade of schooling and who are not medicated with first-generation neuroleptics. CONCLUSION The results indicate that some sociodemographic and clinical characteristics influence the quality of life of patients with schizophrenia and should be considered in the patient evaluation and in planning appropriate and effective strategies for their psychosocial rehabilitation.

[Factors associated with perception of improvement by users of Centers for Psychosocial Care in the South of Brazil]

This study aimed to investigate factors associated with perceived improvement among users of Centers for Psychosocial Care. This was a cross-sectional study of 1,493 users of Centers for Psychosocial Care in the South of Brazil. Users' perceived improvement was assessed by Perceived Change Scale - Patients (PCS-Patients). Associated factors were investigated using logistic regression guided by a hierarchical model, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Factors associated with the outcome were: state where the Center for Psychosocial Care was located, paid work, diagnosis of schizophrenia, age at diagnosis < 18 years, longer time attending the center, ease of access, and involvement in the evaluation. The factors that actually involve improvement in users include those pertaining to characteristics of the illness and aspects related to services in the implementation of mental health policies and their organization.

Predictive Validity of the Brazilian Portuguese Version of the Family Questionnaire for Relapse in Patients With Schizophrenia

Background and Purpose: The Family Questionnaire-Brazilian Portuguese Version (FQ-BPV) has been preliminarily validated in the Brazilian population. This study assessed the predictive validity of the FQ-BPV for relapse in patients with schizophrenia. Methods: Ninety-four dyads (patients with schizophrenia and their relatives) were recruited from three mental health clinics. Expressed emotion was assessed using the FQ-BPV. Presence of relapse was assessed at 6-, 9-, 12-, and 18-month follow-ups and analyzed through logistic regressions. Results: The critical comments (CC) domain of the FQ-BPV was statistically significant at 18 months. However, the model was not sufficiently robust to classify individuals correctly into relapse or no relapse categories. Conclusion: The FQ-BPV did not predict relapse well and we cannot recommend it for that purpose in Brazil without further studies.

Virtual reality in assessment and treatment of schizophrenia: a systematic review

Objective To conduct a systematic review about the use of virtual reality (VR) for evaluation, treatment and/or rehabilitation of patients with schizophrenia, focused on: areas, fields and objectives; methodological issues; features of the VR used; viability and efficiency of this resource. Methods Searches were performed about schizophrenia and virtual reality in PsycINFO, Academic Search Complete, MEDLINE Complete, CINAHL with Full Text, Web of Science and Business Source Premier databases, using the following keywords: [“schizophrenia”] AND [“virtual reality” OR “serious game”] AND [“treatment” OR “therapy” OR “rehabilitation”]. The search was carried out between November 2013 and June 2014 without using any search limiters. Results A total of 101 papers were identified, and after the application of exclusion criteria, 33 papers remained. The studies analysed focused on the use of VR for the evaluation of cognitive, social, perceptual and sensory skills, and the vast majority were experimental studies, with virtual reality specifically created for them. All the reviewed papers point towards a reliable and safe use of VR for evaluating and treating cognitive and social deficits in patients with schizophrenia, with different results in terms of generalisation, motivation, assertiveness and task participation rate. Some problems were highlighted, such as its high cost and a constant need for software maintenance. Conclusion The studies show that using the virtual reality may streamline traditional evaluation/rehabilitation programmes, allowing to enhance the results achieved, both in the cognitive and in the social field, helping for the legitimisation of this population’s psycho-social inclusion.

Satisfação dos pacientes com os serviços de saúde mental: a percepção de mudanças como preditora

OBJETIVOS: O principal objetivo deste estudo foi investigar as variáveis preditoras da satisfação dos pacientes com os serviços de saúde mental. Como objetivo secundário, avaliaram-se os níveis de mudança percebida e de satisfação dos pacientes. MÉTODO: Foi realizado um estudo de corte transversal, do tipo correlacional, com 110 pacientes psiquiátricos atendidos em três serviços públicos de saúde mental. Os pacientes foram entrevistados para aplicação da Escala de Mudança Percebida (EMP) e da Escala de Satisfação dos Pacientes com os Serviços de Saúde Mental (SATIS-BR). RESULTADOS: O principal resultado encontrado foi que a percepção de mudança pelos pacientes constituiu a variável preditora mais importante da satisfação e, em segundo lugar, a maior idade. Foi detectada alta satisfação dos pacientes com os serviços e escores de percepção de mudança diferenciados em relação aos diferentes aspectos dos serviços avaliados. CONCLUSÃO: Este estudo revela a importância da percepção dos próprios pacientes sobre os resultados do tratamento como preditora da satisfação com os serviços. Os construtos de satisfação e percepção de mudança se revelaram importantes na avaliação dos serviços de saúde mental. Estudos longitudinais e com amostras maiores e aleatórias poderão fornecer dados adicionais para a reavaliação desses resultados.