Steinberg and Durell (1968) revisited: increased rates of First Episode Psychosis following military induction in Greek Army Recruits

Since the seminal study of Steinbeck and Durell (1968), few epidemiological studies have attempted to replicate whether psychosocial stress precipitates the onset of a first psychotic episode. Our aim was to support or refute the finding of elevated psychosis incidence in the first month of army ind...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPsychological medicine Vol. 48; no. 5; pp. 728 - 736
Main Authors Dimitrakopoulos, S., Vitoratou, S., Mougiakos, T., Bogeas, N., Giotakos, O., van Os, J., Stefanis, N. C.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.04.2018
Subjects
Adjustment
Adolescent
Adult
Armed forces
Childbirth & labor
Conscripts
Drug abuse
Epidemiology
Greece - epidemiology
Hospitalization
Hospitalized
Humans
Induction
Male
Males
Marijuana
Medical diagnosis
Medical screening
Military hospitals
Military Personnel - statistics & numerical data
Military service
Psychiatry
Psychosis
Psychosocial factors
Psychotic Disorders - epidemiology
Psychotic Disorders - etiology
Recruits
Risk Factors
Rural communities
Schizophrenia
Social interactions
Socioeconomic factors
Stress
Stress, Psychological - complications
Stress, Psychological - epidemiology
Timing
Young Adult
Greece
United Kingdom > UK
Psychosis
First episode psychosis
duration of untreated psychosis
psychosocial stress
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Summary:Since the seminal study of Steinbeck and Durell (1968), few epidemiological studies have attempted to replicate whether psychosocial stress precipitates the onset of a first psychotic episode. Our aim was to support or refute the finding of elevated psychosis incidence in the first month of army induction and to examine factors impacting the timing of onset. Data were collected from medical files of 186 army conscripts, hospitalized with a diagnosis of First Episode Psychosis (FEP) between 2005 and 2014 in the Psychiatric Military Hospital in Athens, Greece. FEP rates were at least 4.5 times higher in the first month of military service, compared with any other month. Earlier FEP onset was associated with rural environment at the time of birth, multiple drug use and service away from home. Psychosocial stress precipitates FEP, particularly in those exposed to other risk factors.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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ISSN:0033-2917
1469-8978
DOI:10.1017/S0033291717002276