Does Family Income Influence Schizophrenia Risk?

Some studies have associated families' lower socioeconomic status with schizophrenia. To clarify this possible association, researchers analyzed Danish national databases on more than 1 million people. Parental income was assessed at birth and at ages 5, 10, and 15; income levels were stratified into quintiles. The development of schizophrenia was followed from age 15 to a maximum of age 37.

Analyses corrected for parental mental disorder and education, urbanization, and child-parent separations. Lower parental income during childhood predicted a significantly greater risk (around twofold) for developing schizophrenia in adulthood. The more time during childhood that parental income was low, the greater was the risk. Parental incomes that mo…