Objective:

To examine the impact of clinical, social, and treatment-related factors on quality of life (QoL) in Romanian males with schizophrenia and alcohol use disorder (AUD), emphasizing the dual diagnosis.

Key Findings:

• Higher QoL at baseline was associated with greater self-care capacity, social support, and higher positive symptom scores.
• At 6-month follow-up, better QoL was predicted by greater self-care capacity, higher educational level, and receipt of anti-craving medication.
• Negative and general psychopathology, medico-legal problems, and the need for antidepressant treatment were linked to poorer QoL.
• Alcohol use severity was not independently associated with QoL at either timepoint.

Interpretation:

QoL in patients with schizophrenia and comorbid AUD is influenced by a complex interplay of clinical severity, functional capacity, and treatment factors, highlighting the need for a multidimensional recovery-oriented approach.

Limitations:

• The study focused solely on male inpatients, limiting generalizability to other populations.
• The observational design does not establish causality between identified factors and QoL, and potential biases may exist.

Conclusion:

Improving QoL in this population requires interventions that address self-care, social functioning, and integrated addiction treatment, emphasizing the importance of a comprehensive treatment approach.