Does social deprivation during gestation and early life predispose to later schizophrenia?
We employed a case-control study design to investigate whether schizophrenic patients differed from non-psychotic psychiatric patients in terms of place of birth and paternal occupation. "Cases" were first-contact schizophrenic patients ascertained from the Camberwell Cumulative Psychiatric Case Register. "Controls" were the next (non-psychotic) patient on the Register matched for age and sex. In comparison with controls, cases were more likely to have: (1) been born in the deprived inner-city Camberwell catchment area (odds ratio 2.3), and (2) had fathers who had "manual" as opposed to "non-manual" occupations (odds ratio 2.1). The results were compatible with the notion that socio-economic deprivation during gestation and early life predisposes to later schizophrenia.
Castle
D J
DJ
Genetics Section, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK.
Scott
K
K
Wessely
S
S
Murray
R M
RM
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D011610:Psychosocial Deprivation; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014852:Wales / Q000453:epidemiology