IS A CHILDS RISK OF EARLY-ONSET SCHIZOPHRENIA INCREASED IN THE HIGHEST SOCIAL-CLASS

In a sample from the unselected, general population Northern Finland 1 966 Birth Cohort, 11017 individuals alive at the age of 16 years were studied until the age of 27. The cumulative incidence of early onset s chizophrenia until 23 years was higher (1.14%; 9/792) among young pers ons from the highest social class or class I (determined according to father's occupation) than among children from lower social classes (0. 47%; 48/10225), the difference being statistically significant (p<0.05 ). The incidence of schizophrenia in the highest social class was high er than expected among girls, firstborns, children of young mothers un der 30 and urban residents (p<0.05) compared with lower social classes . When cases from the highest and other social classes were compared, there was no dear difference in background factors or clinical course. Four alcoholics, one of them also schizophrenic, were found among nin e social class I fathers. The results suggest that in some families in Northern Finland, a father's professional advancement, often linked t o mental disorder, may be one determinant of an increased risk of schi zophrenia in the child.