Increased rate of psychosis among African-Caribbeans in Britain is not due to an excess of pregnancy and birth complications

Background It has been suggested that the increased rate of psychotic illness among African-Caribbeans living in Britain is due to an excess of pregnancy and birth complications (PBCs). Method We therefore compared the frequency of PBCs in a group of White psychotic patients (n=103) and a comparable group of patients of African-Caribbean origin (n=61); the latter consisted of 30 first-generation (born in the Caribbean) and 31 second-generation (born in Britain) individuals. Results White psychotic patients were more than twice as likely to have a history of PBCs as their African-Caribbean counterparts (odds ratio=2.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.88-6.47. P=0.062). The same trend was observed among patients with a DSM-III diagnosis of schizophrenia (odds ratio=1.65, 95% CI 0.56-4.97, P=0.32). The rate of PBCs was similar among the first-and second-generation Caribbean psychotic patients. Conclusions The increased rate of psychotic illness that has been reported among the African-Caribbean population in Britain is not due to an increased prevalence of PBCs.