Therapeutic Relationships and Quality of Life: Association of Two Subjective Constructs in Schizophrenia Patients

Abstract

Subjective quality of life is an important criterion in outcome evaluation that has been well-researched in psychiatry. By comparison, the therapeutic relationship which may also be subjectively assessed has been relatively neglected as an outcome criterion although it has predictive power in relation to outcome. This exploratory study investigated subjective quality of life and therapeutic relationships in first-admission (N = 90) and long-term (N = 168) schizophrenia patients, each at two points of time. The follow-up period was 9 months for the first-admission sample and 1.5 years for the long-term sample. A significant relationship was found between global assessments of quality of life and therapeutic relationships in long-term, but not in first-admission patients. This finding was consistent at both assessments, suggesting that therapeutic relationships may become more central to quality of life in long-term care situations and that patients' views of this relationship are increasingly embedded in their overall appraisal of life.

Quality of life and clinical characteristics in a nonselected sample of patients with schizophrenia

“…Precaution must be taken when comparing this study with previous ones; illness duration is not well defined, and samples vary between outpatients, inpatients and patients in residential facilities. Development of a therapeutic relationship with treating staff increases QOL in inpatients with long-term illness (McCabe, Rӧder-Wanner, Hoffmann, & Priebe, 1999). Also, adaptation to changing conditions might alter the patient's goals, expectations, standards and concerns, thereby increasing QOL (Oort, Visser, & Sprangers, 2009).…”

Helping alliance and early dropout from psychiatric out-patient care

“…However, there are findings from different psychiatric settings, showing that the therapeutic alliance correlates with outcome (4)(5)(6)(7)(8). The therapeutic alliance is also associated with a better outcome in pharmacotherapy (9,10), with adherence to medication and treatment recommendations (11)(12)(13) and with patients' perceptions of quality of life (14). The therapeutic relationship also seems significant for the outcome in other than traditional psychiatric settings, such as in general practitioners' treatment of psychological problems (15) and in counselling (16).…”

Consumer Perceptions of Assertive Community Treatment Interventions

“…Perceptions of coercion in service provision could potentially influence satisfaction in all aspects of an individual's life. McCabe et al (1999) found a significant relationship between quality of life and therapeutic relationships in long-term psychiatric patients, but no significant relationship was found in first-admission patients. McCabe et al suggested that ''therapeutic relationships may become more central to quality of life in long-term care situations and patients' views of this relationship are increasingly embedded in their overall appraisal of life'' (p. 280).…”