Increased prevalence of psychotic disorders among third-generation migrants: Results from the French Mental Health in General Population survey
Introduction
There is strong evidence that the prevalence of psychosis is higher in migrant populations in many countries (McGrath et al., 2004). Meta-analyses have consistently shown that a personal or family history of migration is an important risk factor for psychosis (RR = 2.9, 95% CI [2.5–3.4]) (Cantor-Graae and Selten, 2005). Furthermore, this risk clearly persists into the second generation, with an incidence ratio of 2.3 (95% CI [1.8–2.5]) (Bourque et al., 2011). These results are well known in several European countries, but they have never been replicated in France. Furthermore, the prevalence of psychotic disorders in the third generation remains unknown.
In this paper, we report for the first time the prevalence of psychotic disorders in migrant populations in France, and we present findings concerning third-generation migrants.
Section snippets
Method
Between 1999 and 2003, the French Mental Health in General Population (MHGP) survey, conducted by the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre (WHO-CC), was used to interview 37 063 people. The subjects interviewed were selected by a quota sampling method and, thus, were representative of the general population in the 47 study sites in France. This method develops a sample of subjects with the same characteristics as the general population on predefined issues, such as age, sex,
Results
Of the 37 063 individuals interviewed, 9821 were migrants. Characteristics of the subjects are summarized in Table 1.
There was missing information about migrant status for 266 subjects in the total sample, and for only 7 subjects with a psychotic disorder. The most frequently observed birthplaces of migrants are summarized in Table 2.
Psychotic disorders were diagnosed in 1014 subjects (2.7%), comprising 271 (0.7%) with SPE and 743 (2.0%) with RPD. After adjustment for age, sex, level of
Discussion
The current study reports, for the first time, a high prevalence of psychotic disorders in the migrants in France, which persists into the second generation for SPE and into the third generation for the RPD, after adjustment for age, sex, level of education and cannabis use.
Several explanations have been proposed to account for the increase of psychosis among migrants. One explanation corresponds to the hypothesis of an increased prevalence of psychosis in the country of origin. In line with
Role of funding source
The authors of this study received no funds for this research.
Contributions
All the authors designed the study; A.A. and J.S. performed the analyses; A.A. and D.G. wrote the first draft; all the authors contributed to the manuscript writing and approved the final version.
Conflict of interest
The authors report no financial disclosures or conflicts of interest.
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Anne Vandeborre to this study.
References (24)
- et al.
DSM-IH-R psychotic disorders: procedural validity of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Concordance and causes for discordance with the CIDI
Eur. Psychiatry
(1998) - et al.
“Mental Health in the General Population: images and realities (MHGP)”: methodology of the study
Encephale
(2010) - et al.
The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). A short diagnostic structured interview: reliability and validity according to the CIDI
Eur. Psychiatry
(1997) - et al.
Prevalence, characteristics and comorbidities of anxiety disorders in France: results from the “Mental Health in General Population” survey (MHGP)
Eur. Psychiatry
(2011) - et al.
The validity of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) according to the SCID-P and its reliability
Eur. Psychiatry
(1997) - et al.
Psychosis and suicide risk by ethnic origin and history of migration in the Netherlands
Schizophr. Res.
(2012) - et al.
Incidence of schizophrenia among ethnic minorities in the Netherlands: a four-year first-contact study
Schizophr. Res.
(2006) - et al.
Excess of psychoses among the French West Indian population
Can. J. Psychiatry
(2004) Migration, distress and cultural identity
Br. Med. Bull.
(2004)- et al.
A meta-analysis of the risk for psychotic disorders among first- and second-generation immigrants
Psychol. Med.
(2011)