Sex difference in age of onset of schizophrenia: findings from a community-based study in India

Abstract

This study examined the sex difference in age of onset of schizophrenia in a community sample. Community-level health workers identified patients with symptoms of schizophrenia living in the community in a defined geographical area in South India. Two hundred and nine of them were diagnosed as having schizophrenia according to ICD-10 criteria by a team of psychiatrists. The age of onset of schizophrenia was assessed using the Interview for Retrospective Assessment of Onset of Schizophrenia (IRAOS). The mean age of onset of schizophrenia did not significantly differ between males (29.2±8.8 years) and females (30.8±11.4 years) (t = 1.12; p = 0.27). Among those with an age of onset ≤33 years, females had a significantly earlier onset; among those with an age of onset >33 years, females had a significantly later onset. The results from this community-based study confirm the previous findings in hospital-based patients in Asia. There is a need to revise the description of schizophrenia in the classificatory systems, keeping in view the regional variations in the age of onset of the disorder.