Marital and Sexual Dysfunction in Schizophrenia: A Study of Spousal Burden

Background: There are many psychosocial problems among schizophrenia patients and their spouses, which indicates that the complex dynamics between psychopathology and various aspects of the spouse's and couples' psychosocial functioning need to be explored. To study the parameters of marital dysfunction in patients with sch Aim: Methods: izophrenia. This is an observational cross-sectional study conducted in a tertiary care hospital in western Uttar Pradesh within a span of one year (2024-2025). The participants included couples, among whom one was diagnosed with schizophrenia. 63 couples within the age range of 19-56 years were selected through purposive sampling. The data was collected through standardized tools including Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (CSFQ-M and CSFQ-F) and Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS). The data was analysed using SPSS, wherein mean, standard deviation, frequency and Pearson's r correlation were used. The Results: patients had mild symptoms of schizophrenia, and the spouses of these patients had symptoms of moderately severe depression. A significant positive correlation was established between the severity of schizophrenia and the degree of depression of the spouse. The study findings also suggested a lower dyadic adjustment between the couple. There was a significant negative correlation between the severity of schizophrenia and dyadic adjustment. The findings also indicate sexual dysfunctions experienced by the spouses of patients with schizophrenia. The Conclusion: descriptive and correlational analysis found that spouses of patients with mild schizophrenia symptoms experience sexual dysfunction, marital dissatisfaction and symptoms of moderately severe depression.