Navigating a fragmented lifeworld: a phenomenological study of schizophrenia among China's Z Generation.
BMC Psychiatry June 3, 2026 Ya-Jing Tang, Lei Yang, Wen-Hao Wang et al.
Among China's Z Generation (born 1995-2009), the lived experience of schizophrenia centers on navigating a fragmented lifeworld through dialectical negotiation to rebuild coherence and agency. Five themes emerged: rupture of reality, encounters with the medical gaze, negotiations with medication, navigation of stigma, and future-oriented life reconstruction. Participants actively built digital enclaves for support and integrated diverse cultural frameworks. Recovery should be reconceptualized as actively rebuilding a lifeworld, moving clinical practice from symptom management toward supporting narrative coherence and cultural resources.