I. Shirakawa et al., FAMILY EXPECTATION, SOCIAL-ADJUSTMENT AND GENDER DIFFERENCES IN A SAMPLE OF SCHIZOPHRENIC-PATIENTS, Revista de Saude Publica, 30(3), 1996, pp. 205-212
A case series to study factors related to family expectation regarding
schizophrenic patients was conducted in an out-patient setting in the
city of S. Paulo, Brazil. Patients diagnosed as presenting schizophre
nia by the ICD 9th Edition and having had the disease for more than fo
ur years were included in the study. Family Expectation was measured b
y the difference between the Katz Adjustment Scale (R2 and R3) scores
based on the relative's expectation and the socially expected activiti
es of the patient (Discrepancy Score), and social adjustment was given
by the DSM-III-R Global Assessment Scale (GAS). Outcome assessments w
ere made independently, and 44 patients comprised the sample (25 males
and 19 females). The Discrepancy mean score was twice as high for mal
es as for females (p < 0.02), and there was an inverse relationship be
tween the discrepancy score and social adjustment (r = -0.46, p < 0.00
1). Moreover, sex and social adjustment exerted independent effects on
the discrepancy score when age, age at onset and number of psychiatri
c admissions were controlled by means of a multiple regression techniq
ue. There was an interaction between sex and social adjustment, the in
verse relationship between social adjustment and discrepancy score bei
ng more pronounced for males. These findings are discussed in the ligh
t of the potential association between the family environment, gender
and social adjustment of schizophrenic patients, and the need for furt
her research, i.e. ethnographic accounts of interactions between patie
nt and relatives sharing households particularly in less developed cou
ntries.