Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Email this article to a Colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Articles & Searches Download to citation manager Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Articles by van Os, J. Articles by Vollebergh, W. Search for Related Content PubMed Citation Articles by van Os, J. Articles by Vollebergh, W. Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders Genetics Biostatistics

Do Urbanicity and Familial Liability Coparticipate in Causing Psychosis?

OBJECTIVE: The urban environment and familial liability are risk factors for psychotic illness, but it is not known whether a biological synergism exists between these two proxy causes. METHOD: The amount of biological synergism between familial liability (defined as a family history of delusions and/or hallucinations necessitating psychiatric treatment) and a five-level rating of population density of place of residence was estimated from the additive statistical interaction in a general population risk set of 5,550 individuals. RESULTS: Both the level of urbanicity (adjusted summary odds ratio=1.57, 95% CI=1.30–1.89) and familial liability (adjusted odds ratio=4.59, 95% CI=2.41–8.74) increased the risk for psychotic disorder, independently of each other. However, the effect of urbanicity on the additive scale was much larger for individuals with evidence of familial liability (risk difference=2.58%) than in those without familial liability (risk difference=0.40%). An estimated 60%–70% of the individuals exposed to both urbanicity and familial liability had developed psychotic disorder because of the synergistic action of the two proxy causes. CONCLUSIONS: Given that familial clustering of psychosis is thought to reflect the effect of shared genes, the findings support a mechanism of gene-environment interaction in the causation of psychosis.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. WEISER, J. VAN OS, A. REICHENBERG, J. RABINOWITZ, D. NAHON, E. KRAVITZ, G. LUBIN, M. SHMUSHKEVITZ, H. Y. KNOBLER, S. NOY, et al. Social and cognitive functioning, urbanicity and risk for schizophrenia The British Journal of Psychiatry, October 1, 2007; 191(4): 320 - 324. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Burger and J. Neeleman A glossary on psychiatric epidemiology J. Epidemiol. Community Health, March 1, 2007; 61(3): 185 - 189. [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. SPAUWEN, L. KRABBENDAM, R. LIEB, H.-U. WITTCHEN, and J. VAN OS Impact of psychological trauma on the development of psychotic symptoms: relationship with psychosis proneness The British Journal of Psychiatry, June 1, 2006; 188(6): 527 - 533. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. B. Pedersen and P. B. Mortensen Are the Cause(s) Responsible for Urban-Rural Differences in Schizophrenia Risk Rooted in Families or in Individuals? Am. J. Epidemiol., June 1, 2006; 163(11): 971 - 978. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Krabbendam and J. van Os Schizophrenia and Urbanicity: A Major Environmental Influence--Conditional on Genetic Risk Schizophr Bull, October 1, 2005; 31(4): 795 - 799. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. E. Moffitt, A. Caspi, and M. Rutter Strategy for Investigating Interactions Between Measured Genes and Measured Environments Arch Gen Psychiatry, May 1, 2005; 62(5): 473 - 481. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Henquet, L. Krabbendam, J. Spauwen, C. Kaplan, R. Lieb, H.-U. Wittchen, and J. van Os Prospective cohort study of cannabis use, predisposition for psychosis, and psychotic symptoms in young people BMJ, January 1, 2005; 330(7481): 11. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. van Os, C. B. Pedersen, and P. B. Mortensen Confirmation of Synergy Between Urbanicity and Familial Liability in the Causation of Psychosis Am J Psychiatry, December 1, 2004; 161(12): 2312 - 2314. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. VAN OS Does the urban environment cause psychosis? The British Journal of Psychiatry, April 1, 2004; 184(4): 287 - 288. [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. SUNDQUIST, G. FRANK, and J. SUNDQUIST Urbanisation and incidence of psychosis and depression: Follow-up study of 4.4 million women and men in Sweden The British Journal of Psychiatry, April 1, 2004; 184(4): 293 - 298. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Tienari, L. C. Wynne, A. Sorri, I. Lahti, K. Laksy, J. Moring, M. Naarala, P. Nieminen, and K.-E. Wahlberg Genotype-environment interaction in schizophrenia-spectrum disorder: Long-term follow-up study of Finnish adoptees The British Journal of Psychiatry, March 1, 2004; 184(3): 216 - 222. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. van Os and P. Delespaul Psychosis research at Maastricht University, The Netherlands The British Journal of Psychiatry, December 1, 2003; 183(6): 559 - 560. [Full Text] [PDF]

Get information about faster international access.

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2003 American Psychiatric Association. All rights reserved.

Home | Search | Current Issue | Past Issues | Subscribe | All APPI Journals | Help | Contact Us