Relationships between social functioning and quality of life in a population of Dutch adult psychiatric outpatients.
BACKGROUND
The relationship between social functioning and QOL in psychiatric patients has not been explicitly investigated before.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship between social functioning and QOL in a population of psychiatric outpatients (N = 410) with a broad spectrum of psychiatric disorders.


METHODS
Social functioning was assessed with the Groningen Social Behavior Questionnaire-100 (GSBQ-100) and the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale. QOL was measured with the WHO Quality of Life Assessment Instrument (WHOQOL-100).


RESULTS
The study population experienced a wide range of problems concerning all aspects of social functioning. The numbers of problems were significantly higher compared with healthy controls and (partly) also compared with a norm group of psychiatric outpatients. Almost all scales of the GSBQ-100 were negatively correlated with all QOL aspects, whereas the GAF score correlated positively with all QOL aspects. In general, participants with problems on aspects of social functioning had lower QOL scores than those without such problems, even after a correction for the presence of psychopathology according to DSM-IV classification.


CONCLUSIONS
In addition to the presence of psychopathology, social functioning is significantly related to QOL. Therefore, it should be considered more systematically in psychiatric assessment, treatment and program evaluation.
Trompenaars
F J
FJ
Forensisch Psychiatrische Dienst, Ministerie van Justitie, 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands. fons@trompenaars-smits.nl
Masthoff
E D
ED
Van Heck
G L
GL
De Vries
J
J
Hodiamont
P P
PP
D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000328:Adult; D003156:Community Mental Health Services; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D010552:Personality Assessment; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012380:Role; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012919:Social Behavior; D012931:Social Environment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires