Study of Domestic Violence in Female Patients of Schizophrenia

Background – Schizophrenia is a chronic illness which puts burden on the patient and caregivers. Behavioral problems in Schizophrenia lead to domestic violence especially on females in India. Aim – To study the co-relation between level of psychopathology in Schizophrenia and domestic violence and also between domestic violence and anxiety or depression. Materials and Methods – 30female patients diagnosed with Schizophrenia (as per ICD 10) were recruited from OPD at Psychiatric Center, Jaipur. The Positive and Negative Symptom Scale, Interview Schedule for Violence in Women (Hindi version), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety were applied. SPSS 20 was used for statistical analysis. Results and Conclusion – The total score of Domestic Violence was not found to be significantly associated with psychopathology in Schizophrenia. Domestic Violence was found to be significantly associated with Anxiety and Depression (p<0.05). This emphasizes the need to undertake measures to prevent domestic violence and thus prevent anxiety and depression in patients of Schizophrenia, for an improvement in the overall outcome of treatment.