Parenthood and all-cause mortality in older adults with schizophrenia: a multicenter 5-year prospective study

The large body of literature examining the association between parenthood and mortality in the general population contrasts with a lack of studies among older adults with schizophrenia. Identifying potential protective factors of premature death in this population is important to help guide prevention measures. Here, we examined whether all-cause and cause-specific mortality rates significantly differ between older adults with schizophrenia with and without children, during a 5-year follow-up. We used data from a 5-year prospective multicenter sample of older adults with an ICD-10 diagnosis of schizophrenia (aged 55 years or more) recruited in France. We performed a forward stepwise logistic regression to examine the association between parenthood and all-cause mortality, including only those independent variables that best explain outcome. Of 323 older adults with schizophrenia, 133 (41.2%) had children (mean age=67.0, SD=6.1), whereas 190 were without children (mean age=67.2, SD=6.6). Following adjustments, parenthood was significantly associated with lower all-cause mortality compared to patients without children in this population (21.1% (n=28) versus 35.8% (n=68); AOR=0.50; 95%CI=0.27-0.94; p=0.032), without significant sex differences in this association. Parenthood could be protective against mortality among older patients with schizophrenia who live in France. Further research is needed to understand the specific mechanisms underlying this association.