Relationships over time of subjective and objective elements of recovery in persons with schizophreni

• The relationships of symptoms to subjective recovery was examined in schizophrenia.
• Overall symptom severity was linked with subjective report of recovery at all four time points.
• Emotional discomfort symptoms were most closely linked to self perceived recovery.

Recovery from schizophrenia involves both subjective elements such as self-appraised wellness and objective elements such as symptom remission. Less is known about how they interact. To explore this issue, this study examined the relationship over the course of 1 year of four assessments of symptoms with four assessments of self-reports of subjective aspects of recovery. Participants were 101 outpatients with schizophrenia. Symptoms were assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) while subjective recovery was assessed with the Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS). Separate Pearson׳s or Spearman׳s rank׳s correlation coefficients, calculated at all four measurement points, revealed the total symptom score was linked with lower levels of overall self-recovery at all four measurement points. The PANSS emotional discomfort subscale was linked with self-reported recovery at all four measurement points. RAS subscales linked to PANSS total symptoms at every time point were Personal confidence and hope, Goal and success orientation, and No domination by symptoms. Results are consistent with conceptualizations of recovery as a complex process and suggest that while there may be identifiably different domains, changes in subjective and objective domains may influence one another.