Gender Differences and Clinical Correlates in the Age of the First Hospitalization in Patients with Drug-Naïve Schizophrenia in China: a Cross-Sectional Study

Gender differences in the onset age of schizophrenia have been reported in many studies, but differences in the age of the first hospitalization and associated factors have not been explored. The present study investigated gender differences and clinical correlates in the age of the first hospitalization in drug-naïve schizophrenia (DNS). A total of 144 DNS patients and 67 health controls were included. Demographic information, duration of untreated psychosis (DUP), Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) scores, the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) scores, Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scores, and MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) scores were collected and analyzed. The age of the first hospitalization was significantly earlier in males than in females (P < 0.01). In addition, there were significant differences in the age of the first hospitalization in terms of marital status, occupation, family ranking, suicide attempt, and place of residence (all P < 0.05). After Bonferroni correction, only DUP had a positive correlation with the age of the first hospitalization (PBonferroni < 0.05/6 = 0.0083). Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that gender (β = 0.141, t = 2.434, P = 0.016), marital status (β = 0.219, t = 3.463, P = 0.001), family ranking (β = 0.300, t = 4.918, P < 0.001), suicide attempt (β = 0.348, t = 5.549, P < 0.001), and DUP (β = 0.190, t = 2.969, P < 0.004) positively predicted the age of the first hospitalization. The age of the first hospitalization in male DNS was earlier than in females. In addition, gender, marital status, suicide attempt, DUP, and family rank were independent risk factors for the age of the first hospitalization.