Schizophrenia in mid-adulthood after prenatal exposure to the Chinese Famine of 1959-1961

Analyzing data from a large-scale, nationally representative sample, this study examines the association between prenatal exposure to the Chinese Famine (1959-1961) and schizophrenia risk in mid-adulthood and its urban/rural-specific and gender-specific patterns. The results showed that the cohort conceived and born during the famine had a higher risk of schizophrenia in mid-adulthood than cohorts conceived and born before or after the famine. In addition, schizophrenia risk was higher for urban residents than for rural residents and higher for females than for males. Drawing on the psychiatric features of late-onset schizophrenia in mid-adulthood, we then offer some theoretical mechanisms to explain the cohort, urban/rural, and gender differences.