Leisure Activities and Sense of Purpose As Correlates of Satisfaction with Life Among Adults with Schizophrenia

While research has found that engaging in physical activity and in socialization programs were associated with higher levels of quality of life in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, less is known about whether participation in leisure activities and having higher levels of intrinsic purpose would also yield the same benefit. Addressing this gap in knowledge is important for informing the development of psychosocial interventions aimed at optimizing clients’ life satisfaction.  We examined whether leisure activities and sense of purpose would be significantly associated with satisfaction with life, controlling for symptoms severity, race, age, and gender.

Method

Data was collected using a longitudinal study design in two waves, between 1996 to 2005.  The participants were 246 adults who were part of a psychosocial rehabilitation community program for schizophrenia.  Participants were administered a battery of measures assessing a variety of psychosocial factors at baseline and every six months up to a two year period. For the purpose of this study, we examined data collected at baseline for both waves. Leisure activities was measured via a 5-point Likert type scale in which higher scores indicated the absence of any specific activities (i.e. gardening, sports, cooking, hobbies). Sense of purpose was measured using a 7-point Likert type scale, with higher scores indicating realistic, concise, and integrated life plans. Symptom severitywas measured using the 24-item Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. Satisfaction with life was measured with a 19-item scale, with lower scores indicated the absence of life satisfaction.  A multivariate model using ordinary least square regression was fitted to examine whether leisure activities and sense of purpose were correlates of satisfaction with life, controlling for relevant covariates.

Results

The ethnically diverse sample comprised a majority of male participants (67%). The average age of the sample was 37.93 (SD = 9.35) with a mean duration of illness of 14.43 years (SD= 10.13). Leisure activities (B=-0.15, t=-2.58, p=.01), sense of purpose (B=0.09, t=2.17, p=.03) were significantly associated with satisfaction with life while controlling for covariates.  Specifically, engaging in more leisure activities and having a higher sense of purposes were found to be significantly associated with higher levels of satisfaction with life. The model explained 11.45% of the variance in satisfaction with life.   

Discussion

Results indicate that interventions aimed at engaging clients in leisure activities such as gardening or a hobby, may improve satisfaction with life.  Also, interventions focused on aiding patients to develop daily goals may be helpful in improving their satisfaction with life. Finally, severity of symptoms was also a significant predictor of satisfaction with life, which highlights the importance of management of symptoms via treatment recommended regimes such as psychosocial rehabilitation programs, family engagement and psychoeducation and behaviorally tailored interventions to improve medication adherence.