Socioeconomic Status at Birth Is Associated With Risk of Schizophrenia: Population-Based Multilevel Study

BACKGROUND: Inconsistent findings obscure understanding the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and schizophrenia. The aim of the current study was to test the association between individual and community SES at birth and risk of schizophrenia. METHOD: Population-based longitudinal follow forward study of a 13-year birth cohort (n = 71 165). Effects of individual and community socioeconomic variables were examined using multilevel regression in MLwiN. RESULTS: Years of education of fathers and mothers, respectively, (0-8 vs 13+ odds ratio [OR] = 1.17, P < .0001; OR = 1.14, P < .001) lower occupational status of fathers (OR = 1.29, P = .036), and poorer residential area SES (OR = 1.26, P = .012) were risk factors for schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS: Individual- and community-level SES at the time of birth are associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia.