Schizophrenia can devastate the lives of people who suffer from it. People with
schizophrenia suffer distress, disability, reduced productivity and decreased quality of life (QOL).
The concept of quality of life has evolved considerably over the last decades. The interest in
studying quality of life of persons with schizophrenia started as concern was increasing about the
role played by those patients in the community. A conceptual model has recently been described
which suggests that the major determinants of quality of life in schizophrenia are symptom severity,
level of psychosocial functioning, and the presence of medication side effects. The aim of this work
is to determine the relationship between clinical characteristics and quality of life of schizophrenic
patients. The study was carried out at the psychiatric outpatient clinics of EI Maamoura hospital for
Psychiatric Medicine and Assiut University Hospital. The study included 150 patients diagnosed
according to the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria of schizophrenic disorder. The data were collected by
using an interview schedule to elicit information about socio-demographic & clinical characteristics
of schizophrenic patients, the Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale (SQLS) and Positive and
Negative Syndrome Scale (P ANSS). The study showed that poor quality of life was affected by the
time lapse since last hospital discharge, as well as by the period of untreated psychosis, the severity
of all psychotic symptoms, and the medications' side effects. Recommendation: Psychosocial
rehabilitation programs should be performed in outpatient clinics, immediately after discharge from
psychiatric hospital. Such programs can help patients build up social and cognitive skills and
making them more able to deal with ongoing stressors in the community.