Coping with stress and quality of life among patients with schizophrenia in Egypt and Saudi Arabia: effect of sociodemographic factors

Middle East Current Psychiatry 2011, 18:72–77 Introduction In Arab countries, epidemiological data about the ways of coping with general day stresses in schizophrenic patients and their quality of life are scarce. This study sought to determine whether there was a difference in ways of coping with stress and quality of life of schizophrenic patients attending the Baljurashi Psychiatric Hospital, AlBaha region, Saudi Arabia compared with schizophrenic patients at the Mansoura University Hospital, Egypt. Materials and methods A sample of 140 schizophrenic patients in Saudi Arabia and 140 schizophrenic patients in Egypt was enrolled. Data on sociodemographical and clinical variables were recorded. The following scales were utilized: Scale for Assessment of Positive Symptoms, Scale for Assessment of Negative Symptoms, Brief COPE Scale, and Self Report Quality of Life for Schizophrenia (SQLS). Results Saudi patients used less number of coping skills than Egyptian patients and were higher on self-distraction and acceptance; they were better on most items of SQLS. The duration of illness correlated positively with affection of motivation and energy subscale of SQLS in Egyptian patients (r=0.259, P=0.002), whereas in Saudi patients it showed no correlation. Conclusion Social factors are the most important determinants of quality of life rather than the symptoms. Long duration of illness has a negative influence on motivation and energy among Egyptian schizophrenic patients.