The purpose of this research is to investigate the role of social, psychological and genetic factors that previous research and theory suggest may be important in the etiology of the main types of psychopathology that are inversely related to social class -- schizophernia, major depression, anti-social personality, substance abuse, and a type of nonspecific psychological distress that we are terming """"""""demoralization."""""""" The framework for the study is provided by a quasi-experimental strategy designed to investigate the social causation-social selection issue posed by the class differences. The strategy involves comparisons of rates of each type of psychopathology in advantaged and disadvantaged ethnic groups with class controlled, and tests of related predictions about the presence of severe environmentally induced stress and the presence of the psychopathology in first degree relatives of cases by contrast with controls. Israel is the research setting. There are two main reasons for this choice: First the quasi-experimental strategy requires an open society in which ethnic assimilation is taking place. Second, study of the processes involved and their consequences can best be accomplished when a well kept Population Register and Psychiatric Register are available. Israel, probably uniquely, meets both sets of requirements. In Israel, relatively disadvantaged North African and Asian Jews will be compared with relatively advantaged Jews of European origin. Main focus will be on a probability sample of about 5000 men and women born in Israel between 1948 and 1952; a subsample of 750 cases and controls from this cohort; and about 2,800 first degree relatives of these cases and controls. The instruments for identifying diagnosing cases consist of brief screening scales from the Psychiatric Epidemiology Research Interview (PERI) based on our methodological research over the past 10 years and the Endicott and Spitzer's Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH030710-06
Application #
3375174
Study Section
(EPSA)
Project Start
1982-01-01
Project End
1986-12-31
Budget Start
1985-01-01
Budget End
1985-12-31
Support Year
6
Fiscal Year
1985
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Columbia University (N.Y.)
Department
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
064931884
City
New York
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
10027
Dohrenwend, B P (2000) The role of adversity and stress in psychopathology: some evidence and its implications for theory and research. J Health Soc Behav 41:19-Jan
Dohrenwend, B P (1998) A psychosocial perspective on the past and future of psychiatric epidemiology. Am J Epidemiol 147:222-31
Link, B G; Stueve, A; Phelan, J (1998) Psychotic symptoms and violent behaviors: probing the components of ""threat/control-override"" symptoms. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 33 Suppl 1:S55-60
Schwartz, S; Lincoln, A; Levav, I (1997) In menstrual cycle stage a confounder in population-based psychiatric research? Psychol Med 27:1435-9
Skodol, A E; Schwartz, S; Dohrenwend, B P et al. (1994) Minor depression in a cohort of young adults in Israel. Arch Gen Psychiatry 51:542-51
Schwartz, S; Dohrenwend, B P; Levav, I (1994) Nongenetic familial transmission of psychiatric disorders? Evidence from children of Holocaust survivors. J Health Soc Behav 35:385-402
Levav, I; Kohn, R; Dohrenwend, B P et al. (1993) An epidemiological study of mental disorders in a 10-year cohort of young adults in Israel. Psychol Med 23:691-707
Dohrenwend, B P; Levav, I; Shrout, P E et al. (1992) Socioeconomic status and psychiatric disorders: the causation-selection issue. Science 255:946-52
Dohrenwend, B P (1990) Socioeconomic status (SES) and psychiatric disorders. Are the issues still compelling? Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 25:41-7
Dohrenwend, B P (1990) 'The problem of validity in field studies of psychological disorders' revisited. Psychol Med 20:195-208

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