Poverty, low education, and the expression of psychotic-like experiences in the general population of São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract The aim of our study was to assess psychotic-like experiences in the general population aged 18–30 years old of the city of São Paulo, Brazil. A household survey was conducted with 1950 young-adults randomly drawn from the city's general population. The validated 92-item Portuguese ver...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychiatry research 2017-07, Vol.253, p.182-188
Main Authors: Loch, Alexandre Andrade, Chianca, Camille, Alves, Tania Maria, Freitas, Elder Lanzani, Hortêncio, Lucas, Andrade, Julio Cesar, van de Bilt, Martinus Theodorus, Fontoni, Marcos Roberto, Serpa, Mauricio H, Gattaz, Wagner Farid, Rössler, Wulf
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
At risk mental state
Brazil - epidemiology
Educational Status
Female
Humans
Male
Poverty - psychology
Psychiatry
Psychosis
Psychosis continuum
Psychotic Disorders - epidemiology
Psychotic Disorders - psychology
Risk Factors
Schizophrenia
Social Class
Surveys and Questionnaires
Ultra high risk
Young Adult
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Summary:Abstract The aim of our study was to assess psychotic-like experiences in the general population aged 18–30 years old of the city of São Paulo, Brazil. A household survey was conducted with 1950 young-adults randomly drawn from the city's general population. The validated 92-item Portuguese version of the Prodromal Questionnaire (PQ) was used for face-to-face interviews. Latent class analysis was conducted. Mean age was of 24 years; 51.1% of the sample was of women. Mean total score on the PQ was 22.06 (SD=17.16). Considering a suggested cut-off of 14 in the positive subscale, 30.8% of individuals were above the threshold for ultra-high risk for psychosis detection. Latent class analysis resulted in a three classes clusterization. Class 1 (20%;n=390) had the highest overall PQ scores (mean=49.31,SD=10.783), class 2 (43%;n=835) had intermediate scores (mean=23.37,SD=6.56), and class 3 (37%;n=721) had the lowest scores (mean=5.81,SD=3.74). Class 1 had significantly more individuals with less education and significantly more individuals with lower socioeconomic class. Poverty and low education might be associated with the psychotic expression in the general population, amplifying their actions on the psychosis gradient in developing countries. The psychosis continuum might be constituted by three distinct quantitatively different classes.
ISSN:0165-1781
1872-7123
DOI:10.1016/j.psychres.2017.03.052