title: Psychoses, ethnicity and socio-economic status.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Consistent observation of raised rates of psychoses among Black and minority ethnic (BME) groups may possibly be explained by their lower socio-economic status.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To test whether risk for psychoses remained elevated in BME populations compared with the White British, after adjustment for age, gender and current socio-economic status.
  
  
  METHODS
  Population-based study of first-episode DSM-IV psychotic disorders, in individuals aged 18-64 years, in East London over 2 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All BME groups had elevated rates of a psychotic disorder after adjustment for age, gender and socio-economic status. For schizophrenia, risk was elevated for people of Black Caribbean (incidence rate ratios (IRR)=3.1, 95% CI 2.1-4.5) and Black African (IRR=2.6, 95% CI 1.8-3.8) origin, and for Pakistani (IRR=3.1, 95% CI 1.2-8.1) and Bangladeshi (IRR=2.3, 95% CI 1.1-4.7) women. Mixed White and Black Caribbean (IRR=7.7, 95% CI 3.2-18.8) and White Other (IRR=2.1, 95% CI 1.2-3.8) groups had elevated rates of affective psychoses (and other non-affective psychoses).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Elevated rates of psychoses in BME groups could not be explained by socio-economic status, even though current socio-economic status may have overestimated the effect of this confounder given potential misclassification as a result of downward social drift in the prodromal phase of psychosis. Our findings extended to all BME groups and psychotic disorders, though heterogeneity remains.
authors.affiliation: University Department of Psychiatry, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge, UK. jbk25@cam.ac.uk
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Kirkbride
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Barker
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cowden
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stamps
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Coid
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000349:Africa / Q000208:ethnology; D001208:Asia / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008131:London / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014900:West Indies / Q000208:ethnology