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Analysis of the seasonal variation of schizophrenic births using a Kolmogorov-Smirnov type statistic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

H Verdoux ,
N Takei ,
R Cassou de Saint-Mathurin  and
M Bourgeois
H Verdoux
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University Victor Segalen Bordeaux-2, Centre Carreire, 121 rue de la Béchade, 33076Bordeaux cedex, France
N Takei
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry and King's College Hospital, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK Division of Adult Mental Health, National Institute of Mental Health, 1-7-3 Kohnodai, Chiba272, Japan
R Cassou de Saint-Mathurin
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University Victor Segalen Bordeaux-2, Centre Carreire, 121 rue de la Béchade, 33076Bordeaux cedex, France
M Bourgeois
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University Victor Segalen Bordeaux-2, Centre Carreire, 121 rue de la Béchade, 33076Bordeaux cedex, France
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Summary

Previous studies have shown that schizophrenic patients are more likely to be born in winter or early spring months than the general population. Data on 4,207 patients with a hospital diagnosis of schizophrenia were obtained from a mailed survey to public departments of adult psychiatry in metropolitan France. For each year from 1900 to 1965, the expected monthly number of schizophrenic births was calculated and any seasonal variation of live births in the general population was taken into account. Cumulative distributions of the observed and expected number of schizophrenic births were compared using a Kolmogorov-Smirnov type statistic. The seasonal distribution of schizophrenic births was significantly different from that of the general population (P < 0.01). An excess of schizophrenic births was found in the first half of the year, with a peak in April (+ 13%).

Keywords

schizophreniaseason of birthstatistical methodKolmogorov-Smirnov type statistic
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 12 , Issue 3 , 1997 , pp. 111 - 116
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier, Paris 1997

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