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Season of Birth of Siblings of Schizophrenic Patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Ann E. Pulver ,
Kung-Yee Liang ,
Paula S. Wolyniec ,
John Mcgrath ,
Beth A. Melton ,
Lawrence Adler  and
Barton Childs
Ann E. Pulver*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, PO Box 1997, Baltimore, Maryland 21203, USA
Kung-Yee Liang
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatics, School of Hygiene and Public Health, Johns Hopkins University
Paula S. Wolyniec
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, PO Box 1997, Baltimore, Maryland 21203, USA
John Mcgrath
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, PO Box 1997, Baltimore, Maryland 21203, USA
Beth A. Melton
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatics, School of Hygiene and Public Health, Johns Hopkins University
Lawrence Adler
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, PO Box 1997, Baltimore, Maryland 21203, USA
Barton Childs
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University
*
∗ Correspondence
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Abstract

The hypothesis that mothers of winter–spring-born schizophrenics have an unusual pattern of conception which results in an excess of winter–spring births was tested by studying the distribution of birth-dates of 401 siblings of 120 winter–spring-born schizophrenics and 157 siblings of 59 winter–spring-born controls. All analyses were gender-specific. The results suggest there is no association between the probability of a winter–spring date of birth and being a sibling of a winter–spring–born schizophrenic or control.

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Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 160 , Issue 1 , January 1992 , pp. 71 - 75
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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