Gender Differences in Young Adults With First-Episode Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders at Baseline in the Danish OPUS Study

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Abstract

Gender differences in age at first onset, duration of untreated psychosis, psychopathology, social functioning, and self-esteem were investigated in a group of 578 young adults with a first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorder. The mean age at first-onset of symptoms, age at first contact, and duration of untreated psychosis were similar for men and women. Men had more severe negative symptoms, poorer premorbid functioning, and poorer social networks, whereas women had more severe hallucinations. More men than women were substance abusers, were unemployed, and lived alone. Women had poorer self-esteem than men, in spite of better scores in functioning. Premorbid social adjustment was significantly related to the level of negative symptoms and number of friends. Conclusion is that men and women with first-episode psychosis showed different psychopathological characteristics and different social functioning, which cannot be explained by older age of onset for women. Women make more suicide attempts and experience lower self-esteem in spite of better social functioning.

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Gender differences in schizophrenia.

A M Andia, T Jernigan, J Morganville … (1995)

In an assessment of gender differences in schizophrenia, 85 outpatients (53 men and 32 women) with schizophrenia were evaluated for illness history, symptom severity, IQ, neurocognitive status, cerebral volume loss, and cortical asymmetry. Social functioning was assessed using marital status, independent living skills, and employment status. Significant gender differences were found, as women were on lower doses of neuroleptic medications and more frequently met criteria for paranoid and disorganized subtypes of schizophrenia than men. Women also were better educated and more often married, living independently, and employed. No gender differences were found in present age, symptom severity, neurocognitive functioning, or clinical magnetic resonance imaging scan readings. Our findings suggest that women may experience less of the adverse interpersonal psychosocial consequences of schizophrenia than men, even when symptom and neurocognitive status is equivalent between groups. However, more extensive investigations are warranted to better understand the role of pathophysiological or social mechanisms in gender differences.