Comparison of quality of life in homeless and non-homeless Chinese patients with psychiatric disorders

To date, there are no data on quality of life (QOL) and its correlates in homeless Chinese patients with psychiatric disorders. This study aimed to compare QOL between homeless and non-homeless patients with psychiatric disorders in China. A total of 278 homeless and 222 non-homeless patients matched in age and gender were consecutively recruited. Socio-demographic and clinical data were collected from medical records. A clinical interview was conducted using standardized instruments. The physical and mental QOL in both groups were lower than the normative data for Chinese general population, but there was no significant difference in any QOL domain between the two groups. Multivariate analyses of homeless patients revealed that male gender was associated with higher physical QOL, while living in cities and lower education level were associated with higher mental QOL. In non-homeless patients, use of second-generation antipsychotics was associated with lower physical QOL, while having more severe depressive symptoms was associated with lower mental QOL. Longitudinal studies are warranted to clarify the contributing factors of QOL in both homeless and non-homeless patients.