An analysis of factors associated with the relapse history of clients with schizophrenia at an outpatient polyclinic

Introduction: Schizophrenia is a chronic illness with which the sufferer may experience remission, recovery, and, at times, relapse. Relapse per se is affected by varied factors. Relapse in patients with schizophrenia may put themselves and their environment into danger. This research aimed to analyze factors associated with the relapse history of clients with schizophrenia who took outpatient medication. Method: This research was a descriptive correlational study with a cross-sectional design. This research’s population consisted of 75 people, 45 of whom were enrolled as respondents by the consecutive sampling technique. Data were collected using questionnaires. The independent variables in this research included medication adherence, family knowledge, family support, and social stigma, while the dependent variable was schizophrenia relapse history. The data were analyzed using the Spearman’s Rho calculation at a significance level (α) of ≤ 0.05. Results: The research results show that there was a relationship between medication adherence and schizophrenia relapse history (p = 0.00), that there was no relationship between family knowledge and schizophrenia relapse history (p = 0.255), that there was a relationship between family support and schizophrenia relapse history (p = 0.00), and that there was a relationship between social stigma and schizophrenia relapse history (p = 0.01). Conclusion: Medication non-adherence was the biggest factor that caused relapse in schizophrenia patients, followed by family support and stigma from society.