Expression of schizophrenia in black Xhosa-speaking and white English-speaking South Africans.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether schizophrenia manifests itself differently in Xhosa-speaking South Africans, compared with English-speaking white South Africans.


METHODS
A comparative study of the presentation of schizophrenia in two groups of patients.


METHODS
A sample of 63 patients (43 Xhosa-speaking and 20 English-speaking) admitted to a large psychiatric hospital for the first time with a diagnosis of schizophrenia.


METHODS
The Present State Examination (PSE) was used to confirm the clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia. The Relatives' Rating of Symptoms and Social Behaviour (KAS-R) was used to obtain information on the behavioural and emotional expression of schizophrenia.


RESULTS
A significantly higher prevalence of aggressive and disruptive behaviour was reported by relatives of Xhosa-speaking patients with schizophrenia of recent onset compared with English-speaking patients. The PSE elicited significantly more delusions of persecution, sexual and fantastic delusions, self-neglect and irritability in the Xhosa-speaking patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Significant differences in the presentation of schizophrenia, but not its core symptoms, were identified in Xhosa-speaking blacks and English-speaking whites.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town.
K
K
Ensink
B A
BA
Robertson
O
O
Ben-Arie
P
P
Hodson
C
C
Tredoux
D000328:Adult; D044383:Black People; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D013019:South Africa; D044465:White People