To read this content please select one of the options below:

Compare social support in patients with schizophrenia or methamphetamine dependency with healthy individuals

Fatemeh Amini (Department of Psychology, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran)
Seyyed Mohammad Mousavi (Department of Psychology, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran)
Jamshid Yazdani Charati (Department of Psychology, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran)

Mental Health and Social Inclusion

ISSN: 2042-8308

Article publication date: 5 May 2023

Issue publication date: 2 December 2024

37

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to compare the social support among patients with schizophrenia or methamphetamine dependency with healthy individuals.

Design/methodology/approach

Using convince sampling, the authors recruited 80 patients (schizophrenia, n = 40; methamphetamine dependency, n = 40) and their companions (healthy individuals, n = 40) who were referred to a psychiatric hospital in a cross-sectional study in Sari, Iran. In in-person interviews, the authors collected data on demographic characteristics and measured social support using a standardized questionnaire.

Findings

The three groups were similar regarding age and marital status, but different in gender distribution (p = 0.001). The average social support score was 58.0 in the schizophrenia group and 42.3 in the methamphetamine-dependent group, both significantly lower than 63.6 in the healthy group (p = 0.001). The social support scores in schizophrenia and methamphetamine-dependent groups were significantly lower than those in the healthy group across all subgroups of gender (p < 0.04), age (p < 0.05) and marital status (p < 0.001). The methamphetamine-dependent group had the lowest score overall and across all demographic groups and social support subdomains.

Research limitations/implications

This study had two main limitations. First, the study samples were from one city and one hospital in the north of Iran and so may not be generalizable to other population and settings. Second, the authors did not study the causes or predictors of low social support like social stigma which should be studied in future studies.

Originality/value

Despite the limitations, this study found low social support for people diagnosed with schizophrenia or methamphetamine dependency. Intervention to increase social support for them, especially for those with substance use, is required.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Deputy of Research and Technology – Mazandaran IR.MAZUMS.REC.1397.1307 for the support.

Citation

Amini, F., Mousavi, S.M. and Yazdani Charati, J. (2024), "Compare social support in patients with schizophrenia or methamphetamine dependency with healthy individuals", Mental Health and Social Inclusion, Vol. 28 No. 5, pp. 596-603. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHSI-02-2023-0019

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited

Related articles