Quality of life for patients diagnosed with schizophrenia living in the community in Greece

The meaning of quality of life as experienced by patients diagnosed with schizophrenia living in the community in Greece has never been a topic of study, either in the Greek or in the international mental health literature. The meaning of 'quality of life' in relation to a person diagnosed with schizophrenia is explored through the relevant literature. Discussions and arguments on the methodological approaches, and the research methods used by researchers are provided in the literature review chapter. The study took place in two phases. Mixed research methods were employed in order to answer the research question of this study. Eight informants were interviewed in the first phase and five life domains were defined as contributing to the informants' quality of life: work and money, family, social functioning, psychological functioning and health. These five domains guided the choice of the quantitative tool in order further explore the research question of the study and to measure the quality of life of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. The Greek version of the Subjective Quality of Life Profile was used in 100 people diagnosed with schizophrenia living in the community in Greece, and the results showed that the majority of them experienced overall satisfaction and that they were expecting changes for the better to come in the future. This study contributes towards the expansion of knowledge in the mental health area and is expected to be the initiative for further research, since it is the first study to examine the meaning of quality of life of people diagnosed with schizophrenia living in the community in Greece.