Abstract
The literature on the prevalence and effect of the frailty status of patients with schizophrenia is limited. The interactions between frailty and psychiatric disorders warrant exploration. This study primarily aimed to explore the associations of physiological state, cognitive function, sensory function, and biochemical index with frailty status among patients with schizophrenia. A cross-sectional study design was adopted. Patients with schizophrenia were selected using purposive sampling. Frailty was revealed to be more prevalent with lower educational attainment, more hospitalization days, higher skeletal muscle percentage, higher basal metabolic rate, having fallen in the past year, use of anxiolytics or tranquilizers and sleeping pills, lower cognitive function, and use of assistive equipment. In addition, physiological state, cognitive function, and sensory function differed depending on the incidence of frailty among patients with schizophrenia. Cognitive function and the reduction of frailty incidence should be emphasized. Institutional nursing staff should regularly assess patients’ frailty risk, pay attention to changes in patients’ physiological state, monitor the cognitive function of patients, and recommend physical therapy and exercises to improve the strength, conditioning, and mobility of patients with schizophrenia for health maintenance and positive aging.