Schizophrenic subtype, seasonality of birth and social class: a preliminary analysis.
OBJECTIVE
The neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia includes the etiological impact of fetal brain stressors possibly connected with birth seasonality. Specification of social class of origin (SES) as a related risk factor remains unexamined as does type of schizophrenia as an outcome variable. The objective of this study was to test for an interconnection between SES, type of schizophrenia and seasonality of birth.


METHODS
Patients (N=436) from a United States psychiatric hospital were separated into deficit/non-deficit presentation and bifurcated into poor/non-poor SES. Birth seasonality was assessed by months hypothetically connected with winter-related trimesters of gestation.


RESULTS
Results showed that there is a significant difference (p=0.0411) in the monthly birth patterns of poor vs. non-poor patients and that the difference connects with the likelihood of deficit vs. non-deficit schizophrenia. Specifically, an elevated proportion of patients with deficit schizophrenia were born to impoverished women who likely conceived in January. Findings were confirmed by multiple levels of statistical assessment including log linear analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
The resultant model suggests the environmental location (lower SES) and timing (winter conception) of adult schizophrenia with poor outcome (deficit).
Gallagher
Bernard J
BJ
Villanova University, Department of Sociology, Villanova, PA 19085, USA. bernard.gallagher@villanova.edu
Jones
Brian J
BJ
McFalls
Joseph A
JA
Pisa
Anthony M
AM
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010414:Pennsylvania; D011203:Poverty; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000209:etiology*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012621:Seasons; D012923:Social Class; D012931:Social Environment; D013223:Statistics as Topic