title: Meta-analytic approaches to determine gender differences in the age-incidence characteristics of schizophrenia and related psychoses.
abstract: A recent systematic review and meta-analysis of the incidence and prevalence of schizophrenia and other psychoses in England investigated the variation in the rates of psychotic disorders. However, some of the questions of interest, and the data collected to answer these, could not be adequately addressed using established meta-analysis techniques. We developed a novel statistical method, which makes combined use of fractional polynomials and meta-regression. This was used to quantify the evidence of gender differences and a secondary peak onset in women, where the outcome of interest is the incidence of schizophrenia. Statistically significant and epidemiologically important effects were obtained using our methods. Our analysis is based on data from four studies that provide 50 incidence rates, stratified by age and gender. We describe several variations of our method, in particular those that might be used where more data is available, and provide guidance for assessing the model fit.
authors: MRC Biostatistics Unit, Robinson Way, Cambridge, UK. daniel.jackson@mrc-bsu.cam.ac.uk
authors: Dan
authors: D
authors: Jackson
authors: James
authors: J
authors: Kirkbride
authors: Tim
authors: T
authors: Croudace
authors: Craig
authors: C
authors: Morgan
authors: Jane
authors: J
authors: Boydell
authors: Antonia
authors: A
authors: Errazuriz
authors: Robin M
authors: RM
authors: Murray
authors: Peter B
authors: PB
authors: Jones
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D055815:Young Adult