Financiële problemen van mensen met psychotische stoornissen: – een kwalitatieve studie

Aim
To qualitatively explore people with psychotic disorders’ (PD) perspectives on their financial problems and the causes for these problems.

Background
Financial capacity is pivotal for independent living (e.g., grocery shopping, paying bills), and financial incapacity can have far-reaching consequences (e.g., poverty, diminished societal participation, losing financial independence). Finances are a key challenge for people with PD. They often rely on government benefits as their source of income, with approximately one-third of people being unemployed. Sometimes, caregivers or financial guardians have to intervene. Most studies addressing financial problems of people with PD use a quantitative approach. One qualitative study suggests that psychotic experiences interrupted people’s working situation and, therefore, their financial stability. However, scientific literature on this topic is scarce. A broader and richer approach to studying financial problems of people with PD is thus urgently needed.

Method
Fourteen people with PD were recruited using purposive sampling. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted. The Qualitative Analysis Guide of Leuven served as an iterative guide for data-analysis.

Results
People with PD face many financial problems, sometimes even triggering psychosis. These are subdivided into four categories: covering expenses, financial management, housing, and conflicts and legal problems. Causes for financial problems consist of seven categories: psychotic vulnerability directly (e.g., due to positive symptoms), indirectly (e.g., due to high healthcare costs), substance use, high costs, overspending, fraud, and a lack of developed financial skills. Categories are illustrated with relevant quotations.

Conclusions
People with PD experience various and often multiple financial problems, from having a limited budget to homelessness. This study uniquely describes the wide-ranging causes for these problems, both related and unrelated to psychotic vulnerability. Thus, financial problems of people with PD is an important, complex topic that deserves more clinical and scientific attention. Future studies could focus on perspectives of other stakeholders (e.g. caregivers).