Long-term outcome of schizoaffective and schizophrenic disorders: a comparative study. III. Social consequences.

A significantly higher proportion of schizophrenic than schizoaffective patients were found to experience negative social consequences of their illness. Schizophrenic males are more likely to have an unfavourable social prognosis than are schizophrenic females or schizoaffective patients of either gender. Schizophrenic males are, however, equally disadvantaged in regard to social consequences independently of other premorbid and sociodemographic factors. Unfavourable social consequences in male schizophrenics and favourable ones in female schizoaffectives can be predicted with high probability. Some social consequences can be predicted with relatively high probability for male schizoaffectives, while no prognosis can be made for female schizophrenics.