A Comparative Study of Perceived Social Support among Persons with Schizophrenia and Mania

Abstract

Background: In recent years social support has emerged as an important influencing variable and perhaps determining outcome in various disorders. It is proposed and generally accepted that social support buttresses against the deleterious of stress. In the context of better outcome of schizophrenia and mania in India and other developing countries, consideration of social support as an influential variable assumes importance. So the present study was conducted with the objective of to study and comparing of perceived social support of the persons diagnosed with Schizophrenia and Mania and to find out its relationship with the socio-demographic variables. Method: The research work was done at the outpatient department of Gwalior Mansik Arogyashala, Gwalior, India. It was a cross-sectional hospital based study using a purposive sampling technique. The sample consisting of 150 samples, 75 from each group diagnosed with Schizophrenia and Mania which were consented and met the inclusion criteria. Socio-demographic and clinical data sheet and Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ) were used to collect the data. The persons with Schizophrenia and Mania have taken in study. Result: It indicates that persons with schizophrenia (PWS) group has less perceived social support in comparison to persons with mania (PWM) group. Conclusion: Perceived social support was correlated to symptoms because when individuals are provided good support they cope with stressful events more effectively and thus are likely to experience less psychological distress.

Keywords: Schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder, mania, perceived social support