PSYCHOSOCIAL FUNCTIONING AND SUBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE IN SCHIZOPHRENIA

This study examines the relationship between psychosocial functioning and subjective experience in 193 individuals diagnosed with schizophre nia or schizo-affective disorder according to Research Diagnostic Crit eria. Psychosocial functioning was measured as work functioning, socia l functioning, living situation, symptomatology, and intrapsychic aspe cts of the deficit syndrome. Subjective experience consisted of measur es of self-esteem, satisfaction with life, and subjective distress. Mu ltivariate analyses resulted in two major findings. The first finding is a model of psychosocial functioning that consists of two factors: d isorder-related variables (symptomatology and intrapsychic deficits) a nd functional status variables (work, social, and living situation). T he second major finding is a two-tiered model of the relationship betw een psychosocial functioning and subjective experience. The model sugg ests a primary and pervasive relationship between the disorder-related variables and subjective experience and a secondary and less pronounc ed relationship between functional status variables and subjective exp erience. The implications of these findings for treatment and rehabili tation and for the study of subjective experience in schizophrenia are discussed.