title: Obstetrical complications, social class and type of schizophrenia.
abstract: The emerging neurodevelopmental model posits that prenatal and perinatal factors can play an etiological role in schizophrenia. Consistently, the research on obstetrical complications (OCs) reports an association with the development of more severe schizophrenic symptoms. Low socioeconomic status (SES) has also been linked to both limited prenatal healthcare and to worse prognosis of schizophrenic symptoms. A large sample (n=437) of patients from a state hospital population in the U. S. was screened for study variables. A sequential analysis was conducted, first applying cross tabulations using the chi-square test, and then building separate logit models for poor and nonpoor patients. The cross tabulations indicated an association between OCs and negative symptoms for poor schizophrenic patients, but not for nonpoor patients. Multivariate logit models further supported this result. This is the first study to examine the interaction of OCs, schizophrenic symptomatology and SES of origin.
authors: Department of Sociology, Villanova University, Villanova, PA 19085, USA. brian.jones@villanova.edu
authors: Brian J
authors: BJ
authors: Jones
authors: Bernard J
authors: BJ
authors: Gallagher
authors: Dana M
authors: DM
authors: Moss
authors: Joseph A
authors: JA
authors: McFalls
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015984:Causality; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006783:Hospitals, State; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008403:Mass Screening; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010414:Pennsylvania; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011379:Prognosis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012923:Social Class