Association of insight with sociodemographic and clinical factors, quality of life, and cognition in Chinese patients with schizophrenia

Abstract

Purpose: The aims of this study were to assess insight in Chinese patients with schizophrenia and to identify its relationship with sociodemographic and clinical factors, cognition, and quality of life (QOL).

Methods: A cohort of 139 patients with clinically stable schizophrenia was selected by consecutively screening patients who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and who were attending the outpatient department of a university-affiliated psychiatric hospital in China. Participants' sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, including psychotic and depressive symptoms and insight, as well as their social functioning, QOL, and flexibility of cognition, were assessed with standardized rating instruments.

Results: Thirty-three patients (23.7%) had good insight into their illness. In univariate analyses, poor insight was associated with the positive, negative, and general symptom scores of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and with higher scores on the physical and mental components of QOL. In multivariate analysis, poor insight was independently associated with a higher negative symptom score on the PANSS, a shorter length of illness, and with a high score on the physical components of QOL.

Conclusions: Poor insight is common in patients with clinically stable schizophrenia. In this study, insight was not associated with basic sociodemographic characteristics or had it any associations with depression or the flexibility of cognitive processes.