OTOtherHong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOT2025

An exploratory study on the relationship between personal recovery and social functioning in outpatients with schizophrenia.

Seiichi Watanabe, Takamichi Taniguchi, Motoko Sugihara

PMID 40386691

WHAT IT FOUND

In 98 outpatients with schizophrenia, better interpersonal functioning correlated with greater reliance on others and willingness to ask for help.

Other social functioning areas, like daily activities and work, showed no such link to personal recovery.

Key findings

01Interpersonal functioning was significantly associated with the recovery domains of reliance on others and willingness to ask for help.

02Interpersonal functioning was a significant predictor of reliance on others in regression analysis, improving model fit.

03No significant associations were found between total personal recovery scores and age, education, or clinical symptoms.

STILL TO COME

How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs

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What it does not show

The study used non-probability sampling from a single facility, which limits generalizability. The cross-sectional design cannot determine causality between interpersonal functioning and reliance on others. Findings may not apply to outpatients with severe psychiatric symptoms, and depressive symptoms were not measured. The relationship between social functioning and personal recovery was only partial, with many domains showing no significant association.

Declared interests

The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

The easy way to misread this

Do not interpret the correlation between interpersonal functioning and reliance on others as proof that improving social skills causes personal recovery. The study is cross-sectional and cannot establish directionality, and the relationship was weak to moderate with many other social domains showing no link to recovery.

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