Gender differences in living conditions found among male and female schizophrenic patients on a follow-up study

The female schizophrenic patient, having a later age of onset than the male patient, and being more likely to form a stable spousal union, appears to enjoy a protected status which confers with the benefits of higher income levels, better housing and lessened likelihood of being placed in residential care.

Abstract

In four provinces of Canada schizophrenic patients who had received psychiatric treatment not less than 18 months and not more than 10 years earlier, were interviewed. Findings suggest that the female schizophrenic patient, having a later age of onset than the male patient, and being more likely to form a stable spousal union, appears to enjoy a protected status which confers with the benefits of higher income levels, better housing and lessened likelihood of being placed in residential care. A further demonstration of the advantaged circumstances of the female patients may well be their superior showing on functional outcome indicators, where they out-performed males on all indices except physical activity at significant levels of differentiation.