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Differences on Quality of Life of Patients with Schizophrenia: A Multicentric Study from Three Latin-America Countries

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Abstract

The aim of the study is to explore the variation on patient’s Quality of Life (QoL) across three Latin-Americans countries. The study included 253 stabilized outpatients with schizophrenia from three Mental Health Services in Bolivia (N = 83), Chile (N = 85) and Peru (N = 85). Patients’ were assessed using Schizophrenia Quality of Life Questionnaire (SQoL18). We collected socio-demographic information and clinical data, while recognizing the cultural complexity/dynamics of each country, and the influence of cultural contexts on how people experience the health systems. There are differences in QoL according to each country. Peru reports better levels of QoL at the Total Score Index and in most of the dimensions of the SQoL18. Bolivia shows the lowest indicators of QoL, except, interestingly, for the Resilience dimension where it reaches the highest scores. Even when the studied regions in the three Latin American countries share several cultural characteristics, there are also some important differences between them on patients’ QoL. Possible disparities at investment in mental health by the Governments of each country are discussed while possible influences of (inter)cultural contexts are taken into account.

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Funding

This research was funded in part by the Universidad de Tarapacá through Proyecto Mayor de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica UTA no. 3732-16.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Alta Investigación, Universidad de Tarapacá, 1520, Antofagasta, Arica, Chile

    Alejandra Caqueo-Urízar & María J. Viveros

  2. Universidad Católica del Norte, Antofagasta, Chile

    Alfonso Urzúa

  3. Departamento de Antropología, Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Santiago, Chile

    Koen de Munter

  4. Aix-Marseille Univ, EA 3279 – Public Health, Chronic Diseases and Quality of Life - Research Unit, 13005, Marseille, France

    Laurent Boyer

Authors
  1. Alejandra Caqueo-Urízar
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  2. Alfonso Urzúa
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  3. Koen de Munter
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  4. María J. Viveros
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  5. Laurent Boyer
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Correspondence to Alejandra Caqueo-Urízar.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Caqueo-Urízar, A., Urzúa, A., de Munter, K. et al. Differences on Quality of Life of Patients with Schizophrenia: A Multicentric Study from Three Latin-America Countries. Cult Med Psychiatry 43, 326–335 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11013-018-9618-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11013-018-9618-3

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