Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-9q27g Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-20T22:52:57.794Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Quality of life and standard of living in a randomly selected group of psychiatrically disabled people in Sweden 2 years after a psychiatry reform

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

I. Carlsson*
Affiliation:
Clinical Department of Psychiatry, Göteborg University, Mölndal, Sweden
S.-O. Frederiksen
Affiliation:
Clinical Department of Psychiatry, Göteborg University, Mölndal, Sweden
C.-G. Gottfries
Affiliation:
Clinical Department of Psychiatry, Göteborg University, Mölndal, Sweden
*
*Corresponding author. Box 3150, 47415 Gullholmen, Sweden. E-mail address: stigca@hotmail.com (I. Carlsson).
Get access

Summary

In Sweden, a psychiatry reform, aimed at improving the living conditions of the psychiatrically disabled, came into force in 1995. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of the reform by investigating quality of life and standard of living 2 years later in a randomly selected group of people with longstanding psychiatric disability. Self-ratings and interviews were conducted in a study group and a control group. The study group consisted of 19 women and 18 men (mean age 46.1 years) diagnosed with neurosis, schizophrenia or affective disorder. The control group consisted of 19 women and 17 men (mean age 48.7 years). Self-rated quality of life was significantly poorer in the study group (P < 0.0001, unpaired t-test), and so was housing (P < 0.001, test of similar proportions in independent samples). We found no significant positive correlation between subjective quality of life and standard of living in either group but a significant negative correlation in the control group (P < 0.05; r = 0.40, Pearson correlation coefficient). The results suggest that, in 1997, people with longstanding psychiatric disability still had poorer quality of life than the general population. This may be due to factors other than outward standard of living.

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS 2002

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Allardt, EAtt ha, att älska, att vara—Om välfärd i Norden. Argos förlag AB, Lund, 1975.Google Scholar
Altman, DGPractical Statistics for Medical Research. London: Chapman & Hall; 1991.Google Scholar
Atkinson, MCaldwell, LThe differential effects of mood on patients ratings of life quality and satisfaction with their care. J Affect Disord 1997;44:169–75.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Atkinson, MZibin, SChuang, HCharacterizing quality of life among patients with chronic mental illness: a critical examination of the self-report methodology. Am J Psychiatry 1997; 154(1):99–105.Google ScholarPubMed
Björk, SBonair, AAtt mäta livskvalitet, (CMT rapport 7/86). Linköping: Linköpings Universitet; 1986.Google Scholar
Browne, SRoe, MLane, AGervin, MMorris, MKinsella, Aet al.Quality of life in schizophrenia: relationship to sociodemographic factors, symptomatology and tardive dyskenisia. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1996;94:118–24.Google Scholar
Carlsson, IFrederiksen, SOKartläggning i södra Bohuslän enligt Psykiatriutredningens krav: Hur lever psykiskt störda? Studie ger underlag för stödinsatser. Läkartidningen 1998;95: 3422–4.Google Scholar
Champney, TFDzurec, LCInvolvement in productive activities and satisfaction with living. Situation among severely mentally disabled adults. Hosp Commun Psychiatry 1992;43: 899–903.Google ScholarPubMed
Dickerson, FBRingel, NBParente, FSubjective quality of life in out-patients with schizophrenia: clinical and utilization correlates. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1998;98:124–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eklund, MHansson, LSubjectively versus independently assessed quality of life for the long-term mentally ill. Nord J Psychiatry 1998;52(4):285–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fleiss, JEStatistical Methods for Rates and Proportions. second edn. New York: Wiley; 1981. p. 23–4.Google Scholar
Gupta, SKulhara, PVerma, SKQuality of life in schizophrenia and dysthymia. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1998;97:290–6.Google ScholarPubMed
Hultman, CKajandi, MLångvarigt psykiskt sjukas livskvalitet och sociala nätverk, Metodutveckling och en pilotstudie inom ramen för en avinstitutionaliseringsprocess. Projekt Öppen Psykiatri. Uppsala: Institutionen för psykiatri; 1987.Google Scholar
Koivumaa-Honkanen, HTViinamäki, HHonkanen, RTanskanen, AAntikainen, RNiskanen, Let al.Correlates of life satisfaction among psychiatric patients. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1996;94:372–8.Google ScholarPubMed
Koivumaa-Honkanen, HTHonkanen, RAntikainen, RHintikka, JViinamäki, HSelf-reported life satisfaction and treatment factors in patients with schizophrenia, major depression and anxiety disorder. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1999;99:377–84.Google Scholar
Lehman, AFWard, NLinn, LChronic mental patients: the quality of life issue. Am J Phychiatry 1982;139:1271–6.Google ScholarPubMed
Nilsson, LLLevander, SQuality of life and schizophrenia: no subjective differences among four living conditions. Nord J Psychiatry 1998;52(4):277–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Regeringens proposition: Psykiskt stördas villkor, 1993_94 218.Google Scholar
Sjödén, POLivskvalitet: definitioner, metodprinciper och tillämpningsmöjligheter. Scand J Behav Ther 1988;17(Suppl 8):49–62.Google Scholar
Skantze, KDefining subjective quality of life goals in schizophrenia: the quality of life-assessment inventory, QLS-100, a new approach to successful alliance and service development, ONR 99-16465000, Department of Psychiatry, Sahlgrenska Hospital. Göteborg: University of Gothenburg; 1993.Google Scholar
Skantze, KSubjective quality of life and standard of living: a 10-year follow-up of out-patients with schizophrenia. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1998;98:390–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Skantze, KMalm, UDencker, SJMay PRA. Quality of life in schizophrenia. Nord Psyk Tidsskr 1990;441:71–5.Google Scholar
Sorensen, TNaess, STo measure quality of life. Relevance and use in the psychiatric domain. Nord J Psychiatry 1996(Suppl 37).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
United Nations. Human development report 1990: development programme. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 1990.Google Scholar
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.