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Published on: November 21, 2013
Do risk factors for schizophrenia predispose to emigration?
Carsten Bøcker Pedersen1, Preben Bo Mortensen, Elizabeth Cantor-Graae
1National Centre for Register-based Research, Aarhus University, Taasingegade 1, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark. cbp@ncrr.dk
Danish emigrants show a higher risk for schizophrenia due to urban birth but a lower risk due to prior mental illness history. These competing factors suggest unknown environmental influences may play a role in schizophrenia development.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Epidemiology
- Sociology
Background:
- Schizophrenia incidence is higher in immigrants, but reasons remain unclear.
- This study investigates if schizophrenia risk factors also predict emigration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test if individuals with schizophrenia risk factors are more likely to emigrate.
- To compare schizophrenia predisposition between Danish emigrants and residents.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 1.10 million native Danes was analyzed using the Danish Civil Registration System.
- Relative risks of emigration were assessed based on sex, age, urban birth, parental age, and mental illness history.
Main Results:
- Urban birth predicted higher emigration rates.
- Maternal psychiatric contact and parental bipolar disorder increased emigration risk.
- Personal mental illness history, especially schizophrenia, decreased emigration risk.
Conclusions:
- Danish emigrants have a mixed predisposition to schizophrenia, influenced by urban birth and prior mental illness.
- Competing selection mechanisms suggest limited impact on overall predisposition.
- Unidentified environmental factors before or after emigration may contribute to schizophrenia risk.
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