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UCL study finds links between migration during adolescence and increased risk of psychosis

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Published: 
4 October 2024

People who migrate in adolescence have an increased risk of psychosis, researchers have found, noting the link is particularly strong among black and north African people. While research has previously suggested migration could play a role in the increased risk of psychosis among people from ethnic minorities, this study suggests age could be an important factor.

James Kirkbride, a professor of psychiatric and social epidemiology at University College London (UCL) and co-author of the study, said adolescence was a time when individuals were forming a sense of identity and experiencing social, cognitive and neurological development.

“So migrating during adolescence, which interrupts social network formation, and may require teenage migrants to learn a new language, navigate new social and cultural norms and customs, and manage new social environments – including potential exposure to racism and discrimination known to be associated with psychosis risk – could all play a part in making adolescent migration a particularly vulnerable period for increasing future psychosis risk.”

Writing in the journal PLOS Mental Health, Kirkbride and colleagues report how they analysed data from 2,132 people aged 18-64 in England, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands who were part of a larger research study. Of this group, 937 people had experienced a first episode of a psychotic disorder, with this occurring after migration in those that had migrated.

Most of those who migrated, Kirkbride said, had done so for economic reasons, rather than seeking asylum, for example.

After considering factors including ethnicity, markers of social disadvantage, and parental history of psychosis, the team found those who migrated between the ages of 11 and 17 had almost twice the risk of developing psychosis compared with white people who had not migrated. However, there was no increased risk for people who migrated in infancy, earlier childhood or adulthood.

In a further analysis, the team found the increased risk of psychosis in adolescents was significant only among black and north African migrants. While Kirkbride noted the exact association was hard to pin down because of the small size of the latter group in the study, the risk of psychosis was at least two to three times higher for these groups than for white people who had not migrated.

The analysis also revealed that north African adults, black people of all ages and non-migrants who were black or from mixed ethnic backgrounds were at greater risk of psychosis compared with white non-migrants. There was no such increase for white or Asian migrants.

The original paper is published in PLOS Mental Health: Age-at-migration, ethnicity and psychosis risk: Findings from the EU-GEI case-control study

The Guardian’s Science Correspondent, Nicola Davis article has more information available: Migration during adolescence linked to increased psychosis risk, study finds