Ecological structure and incidence rates of schizophrenia in Nagasaki City*

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between incidence rates of schizophrenia and residential features in Nagasaki City, Japan. Social features of residents in 259 areas in the Nagasaki City ecological structure were determined using the results of the 1980 national census. Six residential factors--employment status, occupational and academic career, household status, length of residence, housing tenure and young male predominance--were selected as factors that clearly reflect residential differentiation of residents. Contrary to the findings of many other studies conducted in Western cities, no statistically significant differences were observed, although it seemed that incidence rates were comparatively higher in the lower social classes. These results possibly reflect differences in cultural and social values and structures.

Public beliefs about causes and risk factors for mental disorders: a comparison of Japan and Australia

“…However, in one Japanese study of depression in the workplace, poor economic status was not associated with increased risk [18]. Furthermore, a Japanese incidence study of schizophrenia found that features of residential areas that are associated with higher incidence in Western countries do not necessarily have the same association in Japan [19]. …”

Epidemiological Studies of Schizophrenia in Japan

“…To determine the residential distribution of schizophrenic patients in Nagasaki City, an ecological study of the cases collected in Nagasaki for the WHO collaborative study has been conducted (Ohta et al, submitted for publication; see also Giggs and Cooper 1987). The general methodology for this study was the same as that reported for the WHO study (Nakane et al 1985; Sartorius et al 1986).…”

Time Trends in Schizophrenia: Changes in Obstetric Risk Factors With Industrialization

“…For example, in the town of Komoro at that time, the prevalence of schizophrenia was more than four times greater in the highest class than in the lowest (Akimoto et al 1943). More recent research indicates that the Japanese social class gradient for schizophrenia has since shifted to the usual Western pattern (Nakane et al 1992; Ohta et al 1992). Many changes in postwar Japanese society, including altered patterns of nutrition leading to a substantial increase in children’s height and weight, have accompanied this shift (Reischauer 1977).…”