We assumed that the shizophrenic patients with low social functioning use less successful stress coping skills. The study was designed to examine connection between social functioning and stress coping skills in a group of schizophrenic patients according to the influence made by age, gender, professional education, involvement in occupation therapy, guardianship, duration of illness and social contacts.

Examinees (n=123) with diagnosed shizophrenia accommodated at a social care Institution for mentally ill persons. The housing process was identified as a stressful event. Coping skills scale adapted from Arcel and Ljubotina and an Adaptive function scale according to Bellack have been used in the study. The following methods have been used for statistics: descriptive analysis, regression analysis, discriminatively analysis and group centroids.

There were statistically significant between better social functioning and use of special types of stress coping, especially by females and patients involved in occupation therapy. There is no statistically significant difference between groups of examinees considering their age, professional education, guardianship and duration of illness in relation to social functioning and stress coping skills. In reference to social contacts, statistically significant difference exists in the segment of stress coping while in social functioning there are no significant differences.

There were statistically significant differences between social functioning and stress coping skills in schizophrenic patients in term that patients with better social functioning use more successful coping skills. The results suggest that stress coping program for schizophrenic patients can influence the outcome of disease.