Schizophrenia Bulletin
Volume 35, Issue 3, 2009, Pages 596-602

Incidence of Schizophrenia among second-generation immigrants in the Jerusalem perinatal cohort (Article) (Open Access)

Corcoran C.* , Perrin M. , Harlap S. , Deutsch L. , Fennig S. , Manor O. , Nahon D. , Kimhy D. , Malaspina D. , Susser E.
  • a New York State Psychiatric Institute, Unit 2, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032, United States, Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
  • b Department of Psychiatry, New York University, New York, NY, United States
  • c Department of Psychiatry, New York University, New York, NY, United States, Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, United States
  • d Braun School of Public Health, Hebrew University, Hadassah School of Public Health, Jerusalem, Israel
  • e Department of Psychiatry, Shalvata Mental Health Center, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel
  • f Braun School of Public Health, Hebrew University, Hadassah School of Public Health, Jerusalem, Israel
  • g Mental Health Services Section, Israel Ministry of Health, Tel Aviv, Israel
  • h Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
  • i Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States, Department of Psychiatry, New York University, New York, NY, United States
  • j Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States, Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, United States

Abstract

Objective: Increased incidence of schizophrenia is observed among some immigrant groups in Europe, with the offspring of immigrants, ie "second-generation" immigrants particularly vulnerable. Few contemporary studies have evaluated the risk of schizophrenia among second-generation immigrants in other parts of the world. Methods: We studied the incidence of schizophrenia in relation to parental immigrant status in a population-based cohort of 88829 offspring born in Jerusalem in 1964-1976. Parental countries of birth were obtained from birth certificates and grouped together as (1) Israel, (2) Other West Asia, (3) North Africa, and (4) Europe and industrialized countries. Cox proportional hazards methods were used in adjusting for sex, parents' ages, maternal education, social class, and birth order. Results: Linkage with Israel's Psychiatric Registry identified 637 people admitted to psychiatric care facilities with schizophrenia-related diagnoses, before 1998. Incidence of schizophrenia was not increased among second-generation immigrants in this birth cohort, neither overall nor by specific group. Conclusions: The difference in risk of schizophrenia among second-generation immigrants in Europe and in this Israeli birth cohort suggests that the nature of the immigration experience may be relevant to risk, including reasons for migration, the nature of entry, and subsequent position in the host country for immigrants and their offspring. Minority status may be of importance as, in later studies, immigrants to Israel from Ethiopia had increased risk of schizophrenia.

Author Keywords

longitudinal Birth cohort Risk Israel Immigration

Index Keywords

educational status immigrant progeny Israel Registries Proportional Hazards Models schizophrenia Europe risk human sex difference Life Change Events industrialization Asia perinatal period Ethnic Groups risk assessment controlled study Cohort Studies priority journal birth order mental health care Cross-Sectional Studies Humans male Emigrants and Immigrants female Socioeconomic Factors pregnancy Incidence birth certificate Article major clinical study adult North Africa social class
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-65349117727&doi=10.1093%2fschbul%2fsbn089&partnerID=40&md5=2e5e13f969bfcbb95d13fc0d36913220
DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbn089
ISSN: 05867614
Cited by: 28
Original Language: English