Many cross-sectional studies have explored the relationship between subjective QOL of people with schizophrenia and different socio-demographic characteristics, clinical and psychosocial factors. Only few studies tried to identify factors that influence the QOL of these patients using a longitudinal design.

Aim of the present study was to determine influence of clinical factors, socio-demographic variables, spirituality and satisfaction with services on QOL, to identify clinical predictors associated with quality of life at one year follow-up.

Measures at baseline included: demographics, BPRS, PHI, RBANS, FPS, HoNOS, SWBS, VSSS, and the Italian version of the WHOQoL-Brief. Measures at follow up included: HONOS, BPRS, FPS, WHOQoL-Brief. Logistic regression models were adopted to evaluate the association between WHOQoL-Brief scores and patient's sociodemographics, clinical characteristics, spirituality and services’ satisfaction.

The study included 171 patients: 64% males; mean age 48.7 (sd=8.9) with primary diagnosis of schizophrenia. Different domains of QOL were predicted by different indicators at baseline. Younger age, more time spending doing nothing, lower BPRS, lower satisfaction with services were explanatory variables for low quality of life in psychological facet. Spirituality and religiousness were associated with Environmental domain and VSSS was associated to all QOL domains.

Rehabilitation plans for people with schizophrenia living in RFs should pay attention to mediators of change in subjective QOL such as level of activities, social support, spirituality and satisfaction with mental health services. In particular, anxiety and depressive symptoms remain as long-term outcomes of QOL at one year follow up.