HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS Psychiatric Bulletin Advances in Psychiatric Treatment All RCPsych Journals		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter View responses Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Related articles in BJP Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by WEISER, M. Articles by DAVIDSON, M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by WEISER, M. Articles by DAVIDSON, M.

Social and cognitive functioning, urbanicity and risk for schizophrenia

Department of Psychiatry, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, IDF, Division of Mental Health, and Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel

JIM VAN OS

Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands, and Division of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK

ABRAHAM REICHENBERG, PhD

Department of Psychiatry, Mount-Sinai School of Medicine, New York, USA

JONATHAN RABINOWITZ, PhD

Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel

DANIELLA NAHON, MA

Department of Mental Health, Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel

EFRAT KRAVITZ, BSc

Department of Psychiatry, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel

GAD LUBIN, MD, MOTI SHMUSHKEVITZ, MD and HAIM Y. KNOBLER, MD

Division of Mental Health, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel

SHLOMO NOY, MD, PhD and MICHAEL DAVIDSON, MD

Department of Psychiatry, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer and Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv, University, Ramat Aviv, Israel

Correspondence: Department of Psychiatry, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel 52621. Email: mweiser{at}netvision.net.il

Declaration of interest None.

Background Previous work suggests that the association between urbanicity and schizophrenia may be greatest in those with pre-existing vulnerability.

Aims To test for synergism in risk of schizophrenia between population density and a combined exposure of poor premorbid social and cognitive functioning.

Method For 371 603 adolescent males examined by the Israeli Draft Board on social and cognitive functioning, data on population density of place of residence and later hospitalisation for schizophrenia were obtained from population-based registries.

Results There was an interaction between population density (five levels) and poor premorbid social and cognitive functioning (interaction ²=4.6, P=0.032). The adjusted increase in cumulative incidence associated with one unitchange in population density was 0.10% in the vulnerable group (95% CI 0.019–0.18, P=0.015), nine times larger than that in the non-vulnerable group (0.011%, 95% CI 0.0017–0.020, P=0.021).

Conclusions Risk of schizophrenia may increase when people with a genetic liability to the disorder, expressed as poor social and cognitive functioning, need to cope with city life.

Related articles in BJP:

Highlights of this issue

KIMBERLIE DEAN
BJP 2007 191: 279-a13-279. [Full Text]  

PETER TYRER
BJP 2007 191: 372. [Full Text]  

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. B. Kirkbride, D. Barker, F. Cowden, R. Stamps, M. Yang, P. B. Jones, and J. W. Coid Psychoses, ethnicity and socio-economic status The British Journal of Psychiatry, July 1, 2008; 193(1): 18 - 24. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

eLetters: