A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY OF DAILY STRESSORS AND SYMPTOMATOLOGY IN SCHIZOPHRENIC-PATIENTS

There has been very little research on the ability of a measure of dai ly stressors such as the Hassles Scale to predict symptomatology in sc hizophrenia. We examined this issue in a group of 55 outpatients with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of schizophrenia. The patients were assessed on a monthly basis for a minimum of 12 months. The Hassles Scale was used to assess daily stressors and the indices of symptomatology included the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms, the Scale for the A ssessment of Negative Symptoms, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Sel f-Evaluation Questionnaire, and the General Health Questionnaire. Long itudinal data on the relationship between Hassles score and symptomato logy were analyzed for each patient. Statistically significant correla tions of symptoms with stressors for the previous month were found in a greater number of patients than would be expected by chance. There w as some reduction in the number of significant correlations when the p ossible role of prior symptomatology was statistically controlled for.