Socioeconomic status at birth is associated with risk of schizophrenia: population-based multilevel study.
BACKGROUND
Inconsistent findings obscure understanding the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and schizophrenia. The aim of the current study was to test the association between individual and community SES at birth and risk of schizophrenia.


METHODS
Population-based longitudinal follow forward study of a 13-year birth cohort (n = 71 165). Effects of individual and community socioeconomic variables were examined using multilevel regression in MLwiN.


RESULTS
Years of education of fathers and mothers, respectively, (0-8 vs 13+ odds ratio [OR] = 1.17, P < .0001; OR = 1.14, P < .001) lower occupational status of fathers (OR = 1.29, P = .036), and poorer residential area SES (OR = 1.26, P = .012) were risk factors for schizophrenia.


CONCLUSIONS
Individual- and community-level SES at the time of birth are associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia.
Werner
Shirli
S
School of Social Work, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 52900, Israel.
Malaspina
Dolores
D
Rabinowitz
Jonathan
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers; D036801:Parturition; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D012372:ROC Curve; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012923:Social Class