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The contribution of childbearing to the sex difference in first admission rates for affective psychosis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Richard A. Gater ,
Christine Dean  and
Julie Morris
Richard A. Gater*
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychiatry at the University Hospital of South Manchester and Manchester Royal Infirmary, Department of Medical Statistics, University Hospital of South Manchester
Christine Dean
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychiatry at the University Hospital of South Manchester and Manchester Royal Infirmary, Department of Medical Statistics, University Hospital of South Manchester
Julie Morris
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychiatry at the University Hospital of South Manchester and Manchester Royal Infirmary, Department of Medical Statistics, University Hospital of South Manchester
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr R. A. Gater, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of South Manchester, Manchester M20 8LR.
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Synopsis

This epidemiological study examines the contribution of childbearing to the sex difference in first admission rates for affective psychosis. The effects of sex, age, marital status and parity on first admission rates are examined in 114 patients admitted from a defined catchment area. The rate of first admission in females is almost twice that in males. Using logistic regression analysis one significant factor accounting for this sex difference emerges: female parity. The effect of parity is evident up to the age of 54, and it entirely accounts for the sex difference in relative risk. Non-parous females have a lower relative risk of admission than males. An apparent effect of marital status is only significant in females, and is accounted for by parity and age.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 19 , Issue 3 , August 1989 , pp. 719 - 724
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1989

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