Relationship of perceived social support, problem-solving skills, and functionality in patients with bipolar disorder during remission period

This study aimed to examine the relationships between perceived social support, social problem-solving skills, and levels of functioning in individuals with bipolar disorder during remission by comparing them with a non-clinical control group. Additionally, it sought to identify the factors influencing the functionality of bipolar disorder patients by evaluating the relationships between these three variables and demographic and clinical factors. Due to the absence of studies directly investigating these relationships in individuals with bipolar disorder during remission in the literature, this research aimed to fill the gap by elucidating the role of social problem-solving skills on functioning. Based on G*Power analysis results, a total of 108 participants were included, with each diagnosis and control group consisting of 28 females and 26 males, selected using purposive sampling within the age range of 18-65 years. The study utilized a sociodemographic information form, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), the Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale (MPSSS), the Social Problem-Solving Inventory Short Form (SPSI-SF), and the Bipolar Disorder Functioning Scale (BDFS). The results indicated that the diagnostic group exhibited significantly lower functioning and social problem-solving skills compared to the healthy control group, while both groups had similar levels of perceived social support. Furthermore, the relationships between various demographic and clinical variables with social problem-solving skills, perceived social support, and functioning were elucidated. Finally, it was observed that perceived social support and social problem-solving skills significantly predicted functioning. These psychosocial factors independently predicted functioning even after controlling for clinical variables such as the number of depressive episodes. The findings of this study highlight the significance of psychosocial factors, such as perceived social support and social problem-solving skills, in bipolar disorder.