Social Support and Childhood Maltreatment among Patients with Schizophrenia at El-Azazi Hospital for Mental Health

Background: Schizophrenia is a complex psychiatric illness, representing the eighth leading cause of disability among patients. The affected persons suffer from marked impairments in social and occupational functions. It represents 7.4% of all disabilities resulted from psychiatric disorders and substance use disorders worldwide.The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between social support and  childhood maltreatment among patients with schizophrenia. Subjects and Methods: Research design: A correlational descriptive study design was utilized in this study. Setting: This study was carried out at El-Azazi Hospital for Mental Health in Abo-Hamad City,Sharqia Governorate. Subjects: A purposive sample of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (102) from both genders present at the previously mentioned hospital at the time of the study was recruited. Tools of data collection: Four tools were utilized in this study: Socio-demographic data sheet, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Childhood Traumatic Questionnaire (CTQ) and The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Results: the current study results revealed that the highest percentage of perceived social support among studied patients was from significant others, followed by family and friends. The majority of patients had moderate to severe level of positive symptoms. Emotional neglect was the most prevalent type of childhood maltreatment among the studied patients.Total CTQ was positively correlated with total positive and total psychological symptom scale; however it was negatively correlated with the total negative symptom scale. Total social support was negatively correlated with the total general psychological scale and total CTQ. Conclusion: The level of social support was low among studied patients. Social support was negatively correlated with the general psychological scale and CTQ. Recommendations: A training program for nurses about the importance of social support to mentally ill patients and their families during difficult times is recommended.