SpringerLink
Log in

Structure of needs among persons with schizophrenia

  • ORIGINAL PAPER
  • Published:
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

The importance of needs assessment for service development has been widely recognised. Several studies have focused on the associations between ratings of needs by patients and staff and have found clear differences, especially concerning the unmet needs.

Methods

The present study is part of a Nordic Multicentre study that investigates the life and care of outpatients with a schizophrenia group illness in all the Nordic countries. The aim of this paper is to study the patterns of needs as identified by patients and staff according to the Camberwell Assessment of Needs (CAN). Quality of life, level of functioning, and psychiatric symptoms were assessed.

Results

The sample includes 300 patients, 194 (65%) men and 106 (35%) women. The factor analysis identified five factors for patients and four factors for staff in the questionnaire on ratings of needs. In four of the five patient-related factors a meaningful interpretation was possible, and the factors were named skills, illness, co**, and substance abuse. The staff-related factors were named skills, impairment, symptom, and substance abuse. There were significant associations between the sum scores constructed from the factors and measures of functioning level and symptoms.

Conclusions

It seems that the sum factor reflecting secondary needs was the most important of the identified factors among both patient and staff ratings. The item-by-item comparisons in previous studies have emphasised differences between patient and staff ratings, but our analysis of the structure of needs also found similarities in the structures and in the associations between the identified sum scores and measures of symptoms, functioning level, and quality of life.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price includes VAT (Germany)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Strathdee G, Thornicroft G (1992) Community sectors for needsled mental health services. In: Thornicroft G, Brewin CR, Wing J (eds) Measuring mental health needs. Gaskell, London, pp 140–162

  2. Lareau LS (1983) Needs assessment of the elderly: conclusions and methodological approaches. Gerontologist 23:518–526

    Google Scholar 

  3. Bradshaw J (1972) The concept of social need. New Society 19:640–643

    Google Scholar 

  4. WHO, World Health Organisation (1980) International classification of impairments, disabilities and handicaps. WHO, Geneva

  5. Slade M, Phelan M, Thornicroft G (1998) A comparison of needs assessed by staff and by an epidemiologically representative sample of patients with psychosis. Psychol Med 28:543–550

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Wiersma D, Nienhuis FJ, Giel R, Slooff CJ (1998) Stability and change in needs of patients with schizophrenic disorders: a 15-and 17-year follow-up from first onset of psychosis, and a comparison between “objective” and “subjective” assessments of needs for care. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 33:49–55

    Google Scholar 

  7. Slade M, Phelan M, Thornicroft G, Parkman S (1996) The Camberwell Assessment of Need (CAN): comparison of assessments by staff and patients of the needs of the severely mentally ill. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 31:109–113

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Hansson L, Vinding HR, Mackeprang T, Sourander A, Werdelin G, Bengtsson-Tops A, Bjarnason O, Dybbro J, Nilsson L, Sandlund M, Sørgaard K, Middelboe T (2001) Comparison of key worker and patient assessment of needs in schizophrenic patients living in the community: a Nordic multicentre study. Acta Psychiatr Scand 103:45–51

    Google Scholar 

  9. Phelan M, Slade M, Thornicroft G, Dunn G,Holloway F,Wykes T, Strathdee G, Loftus L, McCrone P, Hayward P (1995) The Camberwell Assessment of NEED: the validity and reliability of an instrument to assess the needs of people with severe mental illness. Br J Psychiatry 167:589–595

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Sørgaard KW, Hansson L, Heikkilä J, Vinding HR, Bjarnason O, Bengtson-Tops A, Merinder L, Nilsson L, Sandlund M and Middelboe T (2001) Predictors of social relations in persons with schizophrenia. A Nordic multicentre study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 36:13–19

    Google Scholar 

  11. Hansson L, Sandlund M, Bengtsson-Tops A, Bjarnason O, Karlsson H, Mackenprang T, Merinder L, Nilsson L, Sørgaard KW, Vinding H, Middelboe T (2003) The relationship of needs and quality of life in persons with schizophrenia living in the community. A Nordic multi-center study. Nord J Psychiatry 57:5–11

    Google Scholar 

  12. Slade M, Beck A, Bindman J, Thornicroft G, Wright S (1998) Routine clinical outcome measures for patients with severe mental illness: CANSAS and HoNOS. Br J Psychiatry 174:404–408

    Google Scholar 

  13. Oliver JP, Huxley PJ, Priebe S, Kaiser W (1997) Measuring the quality of life of severely mentally ill people using the Lancashire quality of life profile. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 32:76–83

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Overall JE, Gorham DR (1962) The brief psychiatric ratings scale. Psychol Med 10:799–812

    Google Scholar 

  15. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. (1994) American Psychiatric Association, Washington, DC

  16. Hansson L, Vinding HR, Mackeprang T, Sourander A, Werdelin G, Bengtsson-Topps A, Bjarnason O, Dybbro J, Nilsson L, Sandlund M, Søgaard K, Middelboe T (2001) Comparison of key worker and patient assessment of needs in schizophrenic patients living in the community: a Nordic multicentre study. Acta Psychiatr Scand 103:45–51

    Google Scholar 

  17. Kavanagh DJ, McGrath J, Saunders JB, Dore G, Clark D (2002) Substance misuse in patients with schizophrenia: epidemiology and management. Drugs 62:743–755

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Negrete JC (2003) Clinical aspects of substance abuse in persons with schizophrenia. Can J Psychiatry 48:14–21

    Google Scholar 

  19. Lacro JP, Dunn LB, Dolder CR, Leckband SG, Jeste DV (2002) Prevalence of and risk factors for medication nonadherence in patients with schizophrenia: a comprehensive review of recent literature. J Clin Psychiatry 63:892–909

    Google Scholar 

  20. Salokangas RK,Honkonen T, Stengard E, Koivisto AM (2001) To be or not to be married—that is the question of quality of life in men with schizophrenia. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 36:381–390

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Salokangas RK (1997) Living situation, social network and outcome in schizophrenia: a five-year prospective follow-up study. Acta Psychiatr Scand 96:459–468

    Google Scholar 

  22. Riecher-Rossler A, Hafner H (2000) Gender aspects in schizophrenia: bridging the border between social and biological psychiatry. Acta Psychiatr Scand 102(Suppl):58–62

    Google Scholar 

  23. Aleman A, Kahn RS, Selten J-P (2003) Sex differences in the risk of schizophrenia. Arch Gen Psychiatry 60:565–571

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Psychiatry, Turku University Central Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    Jyrki Korkeila MD, PhD

  2. Kunnallissairaalantie 20, 20700, Turku, Finland

    Jyrki Korkeila MD, PhD

  3. Psychiatric Clinic, Turku City Hospital, Turku, Finland

    Jyrki Heikkilä MD

  4. Dept. of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    Lars Hansson

  5. The Nordland Psychiatric Hospital, Bodø, Norway

    Knut W. Sørgaard

  6. Dept. of Biostatistics, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    Tero Vahlberg MSc

  7. Dept. of Psychiatry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Hasse Karlsson MD, PhD

Authors
  1. Jyrki Korkeila MD, PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jyrki Heikkilä MD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Lars Hansson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Knut W. Sørgaard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Tero Vahlberg MSc
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Hasse Karlsson MD, PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jyrki Korkeila MD, PhD.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Korkeila, J., Heikkilä, J., Hansson, L. et al. Structure of needs among persons with schizophrenia. Soc Psychiat Epidemiol 40, 233–239 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-005-0888-z

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-005-0888-z

Key words

Search

Navigation