정신분열병 환자의 출생월에 관한 연구 : 성별，정신병 가족력 및 손잡이간의 관계

Month of Birth in Schizophrenics in Korea : Its Relations to Sex, Family History of Psychosis, and Handedness

Objects ： This study was designed to investigate whether there is any difference in the month of birth between schizophrenic patients and to controls and determine whether there is any relationship between the patients sex, family history of psychoses, handedness, and the month of birth. Methods : We chose 1606 schizophrenic patients(887 men, 719 women) bom during the period of 1941 -1970. We chose an age-and sex-matched control group from the Seoul and Kyunggi area. The age range o f the controls was 20 - 50 years. We obtained birth dates from personal interviews and checked their family history through medical records and interviews. Annett’s hand preference questionnaire, writing, and ball-throwing were used to assess handedness. Results : There was no statistically significant difference in terms of month of birth between the patient group and normal control group. As for the sex difference, male patients showed higher frequency of birth in March, May, July and December than controls, and female patients show higher frequency of birth in March, April, June, July and December. But categorical model response analysis did not find a statistically significant sex difference of birth rate among seasons between the patient and control group. Conclusion ： The data presented did not support the epidemic model for the viral hypothesis of schizophrenia.