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Drs. Scott, Najman, and McGrath Reply

To the Editor: We thank Mr. Richardson for drawing attention to the likely relationship between low socioeconomic status in childhood and adult delusional-like experiences. Low socioeconomic status in childhood is associated with a wide array of adverse health outcomes, affecting both physical (1) and mental health (2). We are also interested in the influence of socioeconomic status on adult delusional-like experiences and adult psychosis but would like to consider a number of potential confounding factors. For example, parental mental health problems would be associated with both low childhood socioeconomic status and an increased risk of delusional-like experiences in offspring (3). Abuse in childhood is known to be more prevalent in families with low socioeconomic status, but this exposure is also associated with psychotic symptoms in adulthood (4). Thus, any relationship between childhood socioeconomic status and adult delusional-like experiences would probably be complex and warrants detailed and focused investigation. We look forward to reporting our findings in this area in future studies and encourage further exploration of the many factors influencing pathways to psychosis.

Footnotes

The authors’ disclosures accompany the original article.

This letter (doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2009.09050742r) was accepted for publication in June 2009.

References

1. Krieger N: Why epidemiologists cannot afford to ignore poverty. Epidemiology 2007; 18:658–663[Medline]
2. Werner S, Malaspina D, Rabinowitz J: Socioeconomic status at birth is associated with risk of schizophrenia: population-based multilevel study. Schizophr Bull 2007; 33:1373–1378[Abstract/Free Full Text]
3. Varghese D, Scott J, McGrath J: Correlates of delusion-like experiences in a non-psychotic community sample. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2008; 42:505–508[Medline]
4. van Os, J, Linscott, RJ, Myin-Germeys I, Delespaul P, Krabbendam L: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the psychosis continuum: evidence for a psychosis proneness-persistence-impairment model of psychotic disorder. Psychol Med 2009; 39:179–195[CrossRef][Medline]

Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Email this article to a Colleague Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Articles & Searches Download to citation manager Articles by SCOTT, J. Articles by MCGRATH, J. Articles by SCOTT, J. Articles by MCGRATH, J. Other Childhood Disorders Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

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