Factors Associated with Personal Recovery Among Brazilians with Schizophrenia: The Role of Occupational Functioning

Introduction: Personal recovery has been the focus of mental health policy and practice in recent years. Aim/Question: This study aimed to assess personal recovery and its associated factors in a Brazilian sample of people with schizophrenia. Methods: This study included 104 people with schizophrenia attending an university outpatient psychiatric center. Personal Recovery was measured using the short Brazilian version of the Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS). Functioning and Clinical and measures were also assessed: ILSS-SR (Independent Life Skills Inventory), SAOF (Self-Assessment Questionnaire of Occupational Functioning), PANSS (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale), CGI (Clinical Global Impression) and Calgary Depression Scale. Measures associated with the total RAS score were identified using multiple linear regression. The Benjamini-Hochberg (BH) procedure was applied to control for multiple comparisons. Results: After applying the BH correction, a higher total RAS score was significantly associated with a higher score of occupational functioning (SAOF). No other clinical or sociodemographic variables were significantly associated with the outcome. The overall model explained 20% of the variance in RAS scores. Conclusions: This study suggests a correlational link between self-perceived occupational functioning and personal recovery in a Brazilian context. However, this finding must be interpreted with caution given the study’s cross-sectional design and modest explanatory power. The results serve as a descriptive contribution to guide recovery-oriented practices in Brazilian mental health services.