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Abstract

Schizophrenia Prevalence and Associated Factors in Psychiatry Outpatients at Mankweng Hospital †

by
Unathi Tefo
Department of Psychiatry, University of Limpopo, Polokwane 0727, South Africa
†
Presented at Faculty of Health Sciences: 8th Annual Research Day, Polokwane, South Africa, 17–18 September 2025.
Proceedings 2025, 130(1), 2; https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2025130002
Published: 14 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Proceedings of Faculty of Health Sciences: 8th Annual Research Day)
Versions Notes

Background: Schizophrenia is a chronic, disabling psychiatric disorder affecting approximately 24 million people worldwide. Despite its global impact, epidemiological data on schizophrenia remain limited in developing regions, particularly in Africa.
Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of schizophrenia and examine its associated sociodemographic, medical, and psychiatric characteristics among adult outpatients at Mankweng Hospital in 2022.
Methods: A retrospective, quantitative, cross-sectional study was conducted using 353 clinical records selected through simple random sampling. Data on demographics, social factors, and medical and psychiatric history were collected using a structured form and analyzed with descriptive statistics.
Results: Schizophrenia was diagnosed in 125 patients (35.4%), with 16 cases (4.5%) classified as treatment-resistant. The typical profile of a schizophrenia outpatient was single (99.2%), African (100%), male (64.8%), aged 26–35 years (31.2%), Christian (67.2%), with high school education (80.0%), unemployed (90.4%), and receiving a disability grant (64.8%). Medical comorbidities occurred in 26.4%, most commonly hypertension (17.7%). Psychiatric comorbidities occurred in 25.6%, most frequently substance-related disorders (20.0%).
Conclusions: The socio-demographic profile aligned with the existing literature, but prevalence in this study was higher, with lower rates of treatment resistance, medical comorbidities, and substance use. Further large-scale, long-term studies are recommended to explore prevalence patterns, treatment resistance, and comorbidity in schizophrenia.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Institutional Review Board Statement

The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Turfloop Research and Ethics Committee (TREC) of the University of Limpopo (protocol code TREC/1545/2023:PG and date of approval 26 September 2023). Data were collected from clinical records available at the hospital. Permission to conduct this research was obtained from the hospital and Limpopo Department of Health.

Informed Consent Statement

Patient consent was waived as there was to be no face-to-face interaction with any of the participants, which meant the risk of bringing harm to participants was very low. Participants were not contacted as this was retrospective review of clinical records. Moreover, some of the participants might have relapsed by the time the research commenced and this raised concerns about their capacity to give informed consent. Anonymity was ensured by removal of all potentially identifiable data and assignment of number codes to clinical records.

Data Availability Statement

Data supporting reported results can be found on the following https://1drv.ms/x/c/4f7ec75d08a0a1c4/IQB904BMcsgnRLKf36qPhHiiASSsBfYI_NYJM0EwmEqrLes (accessed on 8 April 2024).

Conflicts of Interest

The author declares no conflict of interest.
Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.

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MDPI and ACS Style

Tefo, U. Schizophrenia Prevalence and Associated Factors in Psychiatry Outpatients at Mankweng Hospital. Proceedings 2025, 130, 2. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2025130002

AMA Style

Tefo U. Schizophrenia Prevalence and Associated Factors in Psychiatry Outpatients at Mankweng Hospital. Proceedings. 2025; 130(1):2. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2025130002

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tefo, Unathi. 2025. "Schizophrenia Prevalence and Associated Factors in Psychiatry Outpatients at Mankweng Hospital" Proceedings 130, no. 1: 2. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2025130002

APA Style

Tefo, U. (2025). Schizophrenia Prevalence and Associated Factors in Psychiatry Outpatients at Mankweng Hospital. Proceedings, 130(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2025130002

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