title: Typology of schizophrenic symptoms and quality of life in patients and their main caregivers in northern Chile.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder characterized by the presence of both 'positive' and 'negative' symptoms that affect the essential functions through which a person gains his or her sense of individuality and capacity for independent functioning.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the typology of schizophrenic symptoms and their relationship to quality of life in patients with schizophrenia and their main caregivers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 45 patients and 45 relatives seen by the mental health services in Arica, Chile. Patients were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Seville Quality of Life Questionnaire (SQLQ), and the Social Functioning Scale (SFS). The latter was also administered to caregivers, along with the Zarit Burden Interview.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients reported moderate levels of quality of life, there being a strong relationship with the negative syndrome and the general psychopathology of the disorder. The quality of life of main caregivers was related with the general psychopathology of patients. The results regarding social functioning and the caregivers' perceptions of patients' functional capacity showed that patients had a very limited degree of social integration.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Negative symptoms and general psychopathology are the main predictors of quality of life in both patients and their caregivers.
authors.affiliation: Depto de Filosofía y Psicología, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica, Chile. acaqueo@uta.cl
authors.forename: Alejandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caqueo-Urízar
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez-Maldonado
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferrer-García
authors.forename: Alfonso Urzúa
authors.initials: AU
authors.lastname: Morales
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fernández-Dávila
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D002677:Chile; D002908:Chronic Disease; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007207:Individuation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011599:Psychopathology; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012917:Social Adjustment; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires