Suicide Attempts in an African Schizophrenia Population: An Assessment of Demographic Risk Factors
Corresponding Author
D.J.H. Niehaus MMed
Department of Psychiatry at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Department of Psychiatry, PO Box 19090, Tyger-berg, 7505, South Africa; E-mail: [email protected].Search for more papers by this authorC. Laurent MD, PhD
LGN-CNRS, Hospital de la Salpêtriére in Paris, France
Search for more papers by this authorE. Jordaan PhD
Biostatistics Unit of the Medical Research Council of South Africa in Bellville, South Africa
Search for more papers by this authorL. Koen MMed
Department of Psychiatry at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Search for more papers by this authorP. Oosthuizen MMed
Department of Psychiatry at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Search for more papers by this authorN. Keyter Nursing Diploma
Department of Psychiatry at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Search for more papers by this authorJ. E. Muller MMed
Department of Psychiatry at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Search for more papers by this authorN. I. Mbanga Nursing Diploma
Department of Psychiatry at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Search for more papers by this authorJ.-F. Deleuze PhD
Department of Genomics at Aventis Pharma, Evry, France.
Search for more papers by this authorJ. Mallet PhD
LGN-CNRS, Hospital de la Salpêtriére in Paris, France
Search for more papers by this authorD. J. Stein MD, PhD
Department of Psychiatry at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Search for more papers by this authorR. Emsley MMed, PhD
Department of Psychiatry at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
D.J.H. Niehaus MMed
Department of Psychiatry at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Department of Psychiatry, PO Box 19090, Tyger-berg, 7505, South Africa; E-mail: [email protected].Search for more papers by this authorC. Laurent MD, PhD
LGN-CNRS, Hospital de la Salpêtriére in Paris, France
Search for more papers by this authorE. Jordaan PhD
Biostatistics Unit of the Medical Research Council of South Africa in Bellville, South Africa
Search for more papers by this authorL. Koen MMed
Department of Psychiatry at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Search for more papers by this authorP. Oosthuizen MMed
Department of Psychiatry at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Search for more papers by this authorN. Keyter Nursing Diploma
Department of Psychiatry at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Search for more papers by this authorJ. E. Muller MMed
Department of Psychiatry at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Search for more papers by this authorN. I. Mbanga Nursing Diploma
Department of Psychiatry at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Search for more papers by this authorJ.-F. Deleuze PhD
Department of Genomics at Aventis Pharma, Evry, France.
Search for more papers by this authorJ. Mallet PhD
LGN-CNRS, Hospital de la Salpêtriére in Paris, France
Search for more papers by this authorD. J. Stein MD, PhD
Department of Psychiatry at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Search for more papers by this authorR. Emsley MMed, PhD
Department of Psychiatry at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
This study investigated demographic variables, including affected sibling pair status, as risk factors for suicidal behavior in schizophrenia patients of African (Xhosa) descent. Xhosa subjects with schizophrenia were interviewed with the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies (DIGS) and then stratified into two groups: those with (n = 90) and those without (n = 364) a history of previous suicide attempts. Demographic parameters (including gender, age, and social circumstances, sib ship) were then compared across these groups. Demographic predictors of suicide included sib ship status (p = 0.038; OR = 1.7) and age of onset of illness (p = 0.008; OR = 2.5). On further analysis of suicide in siblings, only a minority of sib pairs was found to be concordant for a lifetime history of suicide attempts (3%). These findings raise the possibility that affected sib pair status may be protective in nature. Given the counter-intuitive nature of this finding, further work is needed to replicate it, and to explore possible underlying mechanisms.
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