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Elaboration on the association between immigration and schizophrenia: a population-based national study disaggregating annual trends, country of origin and sex over 15 years

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Abstract

Purpose

Generally, immigrant status and male sex are separately documented to increase the risk of schizophrenia; although population-based risk trends by sex and immigration over time have not been examined. This study aims to examine the extent to which immigration acts as a risk factor for schizophrenia, delineated by origin, sex and year, using national population-based data over 15 years.

Method

Data on all first psychiatric admissions from 1978 to 1992 (n = 10,892) from the National Psychiatric Hospitalization Case Registry of the State of Israel were merged with aggregate national data from the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics.

Results

Compared to native-born Israelis, people who migrated prior to the age of 15 (n = 2,335) were at a greater risk of schizophrenia (n = 8,557; RR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.53; 1.68), particularly those from Far Eastern (RR = 2.43, 95% CI = 1.91; 3.1) and Caribbean and South American (RR = 1.94, 95% CI = 1.51; 2.51) countries. Aggregate risk was higher among female than male immigrants and over the 15-year study immigration-related risk declined across the sexes.

Conclusion

The current findings replicate past research showing that immigrants, particularly from a social minority, as suggested by the social defeat-hypothesis, are at an increased risk of schizophrenia, and extend past findings to show that risk at least in Israel has decreased with time irrespective of sex.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel

    Nomi Werbeloff, Stephen Z. Levine & Jonathan Rabinowitz

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  1. Nomi Werbeloff
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  2. Stephen Z. Levine
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  3. Jonathan Rabinowitz
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Correspondence to Jonathan Rabinowitz.

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Werbeloff, N., Levine, S.Z. & Rabinowitz, J. Elaboration on the association between immigration and schizophrenia: a population-based national study disaggregating annual trends, country of origin and sex over 15 years. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 47, 303–311 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-011-0342-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-011-0342-3

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