Correlation Between Social Support, Patient Satisfaction, and Associated Factors in Patients with Schizophrenia

Objective Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric disorder comprising cognitive, behavioral, and often emotional dysfunction. It is often accompanied by limited social support, which plays a crucial role in not only enhancing treatment adherence and resilience but also overall patient satisfaction. Given the growing recognition of perceived social support as a key factor in improving patient satisfaction, this study aims to find the correlation between perceived social support and patient satisfaction among patients diagnosed with schizophrenia who are admitted to the inpatient (wards) as well as attending the OPDs at the Department of Psychiatry, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Karachi, Pakistan. The study also aims to capture associated factors that may influence both of these variables. Materials and methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at JPMC on 151 patients with schizophrenia using convenience sampling. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire including three parts: a socio-demographic form, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire Short Form (PSQ-18). IBM SPSS Statistics software version 20 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) was used for analysis. Non-parametric tests were used, including Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis for associations and Spearman's rho to analyze the correlation between perceived support and patient satisfaction. Results The sample (N = 151) comprised 62 (41.1%) females and 89 (58.9%) males. Among the study group, 53.6% (N = 81) of the patients were 18-30 years old, 64.9% (N = 98) were single, and 60.9% (N = 92) had an education level of primary or lower; 51.6% (N = 78) of patients had been diagnosed for over six years, and 71.4% (N = 108) had regular family contact. The MSPSS scores indicated moderate perceived support (39.28 ± 17.74), highest from family (3.88 ± 1.87) and lowest from friends (2.11 ± 1.68). The PSQ-18 scores were highest for interpersonal manner (3.70 ± 1.21) and lowest for general satisfaction (3.17 ± 1.09). The department of concern (ward/OPD) had significant associations with MSPSS and PSQ-18 scores, whereas gender was only found to have associations with PSQ-18 scores. Frequency of visits from family and friends was greatly associated with both MSPSS and PSQ-18 scores. Spearman's rho showed significant positive correlations (indicated by p-value ≤ 0.05) between MSPSS (total, family, and significant others) and all PSQ-18 subsections (ρ = 0.334-0.591), while support from friends correlated only with interpersonal manner (ρ = 0.272). Conclusion This study highlights the impact of social support on patient satisfaction in schizophrenia. Family and significant others played a key role, while support from friends was limited but associated with interpersonal communication. Despite low or moderate perceived support among the majority of the patients, satisfaction levels remained moderate overall, suggesting other contributing factors. That being said, greater family involvement and social participation were strongly associated with both perceived support and patient satisfaction. Also, perceived support overall as well as perceived support specifically from family and significant others was found to have positive correlations with all aspects of patient satisfaction. These findings emphasize that strengthening social networks and support systems may further enhance patient experiences and care outcomes.