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Criminal victimization and psychotic experiences: cross‐sectional associations in 35 low‐ and middle‐income countries
Author(s) -
DeVylder J. E.,
Kelleher I.,
Oh H.,
Link B. G.,
Yang L. H.,
Koyanagi A.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/acps.12889
Subject(s) - psychosis , psychiatry , cross sectional study , odds , ethnic group , psychology , odds ratio , medicine , logistic regression , clinical psychology , demography , political science , sociology , pathology , law
Objective Criminal victimization has been associated with elevated risk for psychotic symptoms in the United Kingdom, but has not been studied in low‐ and middle‐income countries ( LMIC s). Understanding whether crime exposure may play a role in the social etiology of psychosis could help guide prevention and intervention efforts. Method We tested the hypothesis that criminal victimization would be associated with elevated odds of psychotic experiences in 35 LMIC s ( N = 146 999) using cross‐sectional data from the World Health Organization World Health Survey. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to test for associations between criminal victimization and psychotic experiences. Results Victimization was associated with greater odds of psychotic experiences, OR (95% CI ) = 1.72 (1.50–1.98), and was significantly more strongly associated with psychotic experiences in non‐urban, OR (95% CI ) = 1.93 (1.60–2.33), compared to urban settings, OR (95% CI ) = 1.48 (1.21–1.81). The association between victimization and psychosis did not change across countries with varying aggregated levels of criminal victimization. Conclusions In the largest ever study of victimization and psychosis, the association between criminal victimization and psychosis appears to generalize across a range of LMIC s and, therefore, across nations with a broad range of crime rates, degree of urban development, average per capita income, and racial/ethnic make‐up.