Perceptions and Experiences of Adult Women Aging with the Diagnosis of Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders in Relation to Social Connectedness

ABSTRACT The mental disorder of schizophrenia is often debilitating, affecting cognition, behavior, perception, and speech. Adults aging with the diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorders are a vulnerable population, with unique, complex problems that include multiple physical and psychological co-morbidities. Factors associated with increased morbidity and mortality are frequently identified in this population, individuals who are often reported to live 20 years less than peers who are not diagnosed with their condition. Their early mortality and increased morbidity have been linked to social isolation and loneliness. In our pilot exploratory interviews with these individuals from May 2021 to May 2022 (N = 10 state hospital and 20 nursing home residents), many adult women aging with schizophrenia spectrum disorders stated that they felt alone and reported a need for increased social engagement and connectedness in their institutionalized settings (Walker, 2023; Walker & Harrison, 2023). We view them to be experts in their own health care, and we are further seeking their perceptions to better understand social connectedness from their viewpoint. In this project, we explore (a) the life course experiences of institutionalized adult women aging with a diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorders with a focus on their experiences of social connectedness, (b) their perceptions of how social connectedness is approached in their institutionalized settings, and (c) their perceptions of how social connectedness could be improved in their institutionalized settings. Homogeneous purposive sampling and qualitative analysis of interviews will be used to determine factors related to participants’ perceptions. Our overall purpose is to inform interventions to decrease loneliness and social isolation and to improve social connectedness in adult women aging with the diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorders in institutionalized settings. This small, self- contained research project represents a step in assisting healthcare professionals to improve health care outcomes among adult women aging with the diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorders, promoting both their physical and mental health as part of a long-term project to improve their quality of life and provide solutions to the complex problems associated with their condition.