Biomaterial Database

Stressful Life Events, Social Class and Symptoms of Schizophrenia. 2016

Bernard J Gallagher, and Brian J Jones, and Mariana Pardes

We test to see if severe stressful life events precede onset of specific symptoms of schizophrenia. Our analyses extend to possible variations in the effect by socioeconomic status (SES) of origin. The medical records of 431 schizophrenic patients were categorized into negative and positive subtypes by application of SANS, SAPS and PANSS scales. SES was bifurcated into low-SES and high-SES groups. Stressful life events were classified into four domains. The study variables were tested by the use of chi-square analysis. Our results show that there is an elevated rate of positive symptoms among low-SES patients who underwent a stressful life event before symptom onset. Significance is confirmed with an χ(2) value of 5.418, p=.020. The finding does not hold true for high-SES patients and is not related to type of stressful life event. Thus, we conclude that environmental stressors frequently precede onset of positive symptoms of schizophrenia. This is only true for patients of low SES of origin. We hypothesize that low-SES patients have a heightened reactivity to stressors, a reactivity that is incubated by the human toll of impoverishment.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008016	Life Change Events	Those occurrences, including social, psychological, and environmental, which require an adjustment or effect a change in an individual's pattern of living.	Life Course,Life Crises,Life Crisis,Life Experiences,Course, Life,Crisis, Life,Event, Life Change,Experience, Life,Life Change Event,Life Courses,Life Experience
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D012189	Retrospective Studies	Studies used to test etiologic hypotheses in which inferences about an exposure to putative causal factors are derived from data relating to characteristics of persons under study or to events or experiences in their past. The essential feature is that some of the persons under study have the disease or outcome of interest and their characteristics are compared with those of unaffected persons.	Retrospective Study,Studies, Retrospective,Study, Retrospective
D012307	Risk Factors	An aspect of personal behavior or lifestyle, environmental exposure, inborn or inherited characteristic, which, based on epidemiological evidence, is known to be associated with a health-related condition considered important to prevent.	Health Correlates,Risk Factor Scores,Risk Scores,Social Risk Factors,Population at Risk,Populations at Risk,Correlates, Health,Factor, Risk,Factor, Social Risk,Factors, Social Risk,Risk Factor,Risk Factor Score,Risk Factor, Social,Risk Factors, Social,Risk Score,Score, Risk,Score, Risk Factor,Social Risk Factor
D012559	Schizophrenia	A severe emotional disorder of psychotic depth characteristically marked by a retreat from reality with delusion formation, HALLUCINATIONS, emotional disharmony, and regressive behavior.	Dementia Praecox,Schizophrenic Disorders,Disorder, Schizophrenic,Disorders, Schizophrenic,Schizophrenias,Schizophrenic Disorder
D012565	Schizophrenic Psychology	Study of mental processes and behavior of schizophrenics.	Psychology, Schizophrenic
D012923	Social Class	A stratum of people with similar position and prestige; includes social stratification. Social class is measured by criteria such as education, occupation, and income.	Caste,Social Gradients,Socioeconomic Level,Socioeconomic Status,Middle Class Population,Castes,Class, Social,Gradient, Social,Level, Socioeconomic,Middle Class Populations,Population, Middle Class,Social Classes,Social Gradient,Socioeconomic Levels,Status, Socioeconomic
D013997	Time Factors	Elements of limited time intervals, contributing to particular results or situations.	Time Series,Factor, Time,Time Factor
D015331	Cohort Studies	Studies in which subsets of a defined population are identified. These groups may or may not be exposed to factors hypothesized to influence the probability of the occurrence of a particular disease or other outcome. Cohorts are defined populations which, as a whole, are followed in an attempt to determine distinguishing subgroup characteristics.	Birth Cohort Studies,Birth Cohort Study,Closed Cohort Studies,Cohort Analysis,Concurrent Studies,Historical Cohort Studies,Incidence Studies,Analysis, Cohort,Cohort Studies, Closed,Cohort Studies, Historical,Studies, Closed Cohort,Studies, Concurrent,Studies, Historical Cohort,Analyses, Cohort,Closed Cohort Study,Cohort Analyses,Cohort Studies, Birth,Cohort Study,Cohort Study, Birth,Cohort Study, Closed,Cohort Study, Historical,Concurrent Study,Historical Cohort Study,Incidence Study,Studies, Birth Cohort,Studies, Cohort,Studies, Incidence,Study, Birth Cohort,Study, Closed Cohort,Study, Cohort,Study, Concurrent,Study, Historical Cohort,Study, Incidence