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Migration and schizophrenia.

Jean-Paul Selten1, Elizabeth Cantor-Graae, René S Kahn

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Centre, Utrecht, the Netherlands, and Department of Health Sciences, Lund University, Malmö University Hospital, Sweden. j.p.selten@umcutrecht.nl

Current Opinion in Psychiatry
|February 7, 2007
PubMed
Summary

A history of migration significantly increases schizophrenia risk, particularly for Black immigrants. Social adversity, not selective migration, is the likely cause, impacting brain function.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • Epidemiology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Migration is increasingly recognized as a significant factor in mental health.
  • Schizophrenia prevalence varies across different populations and geographical regions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the evidence linking migration history to schizophrenia risk.
  • To evaluate proposed explanations for the observed association.

Main Methods:

  • Meta-analysis of existing studies on migration and schizophrenia.
  • Review of large-scale epidemiological studies, including first-contact incidence studies.
  • Analysis of risk factors in specific migrant populations.

Main Results:

  • First and second-generation migrants show increased schizophrenia risk.

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  • Elevated risk observed in migrants from predominantly Black countries, specifically African-Caribbean and Black-African populations in the UK.
  • High risk also noted for Moroccan males in the Netherlands.
  • Social adversity, discrimination, and social defeat are proposed as contributing factors, potentially affecting dopamine function.

    • Conclusions:

    • A history of migration is a substantial risk factor for schizophrenia.
    • Selective migration does not explain the elevated risk.
    • Social stressors' impact on brain function and schizophrenia pathogenesis is a growing area of research.