Migration and psychotic experiences in the Tokyo Teen Cohort

Jordan DeVylder; Kaori Endo; Syudo Yamasaki; Shuntaro Ando; Mariko Hiraiwa-Hasegawa; Kiyoto Kasai; Atsushi Nishida

doi:10.1016/j.jmh.2022.100078

Migration and psychotic experiences in the Tokyo Teen Cohort

J Migr Health. 2022 Jan 16:5:100078. doi: 10.1016/j.jmh.2022.100078. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Jordan DeVylder¹, Kaori Endo², Syudo Yamasaki², Shuntaro Ando³, Mariko Hiraiwa-Hasegawa⁴, Kiyoto Kasai^{3

5}, Atsushi Nishida²

Affiliations

¹ Graduate School of Social Service, Fordham University, New York, NY, United States.
² Research Center for Social Science & Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan.
³ Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
⁴ School of Advanced Science, SOKENDAI (Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Kanagawa, Japan.
⁵ The International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), University of Tokyo Institutes of Advanced Study (UTIAS), Tokyo, Japan.

Abstract

Background: Immigration has been shown to be associated with an increased risk for psychotic experiences, with similar effect sizes for first-generation and second-generation migration (i.e., children whose parents had migrated). However, this association varies by country, and by ethnic group at the within-country level, such that risk is greatest among migrants facing substantial social exclusion and disadvantage. This is the first study to our knowledge to examine migration as a potential risk factor for psychotic experiences in Japan.

Method: Using data from the Tokyo Teen Cohort (N=3052), we tested whether migrant status was associated with the lifetime prevalence of psychotic experiences at age 10.

Results: Only 2.2% of the sample (n=68) had at least one migrant parent. Psychotic experiences were more common among children with at least one migrant parent, odds ratio (95% CI) = 2.06(1.26-3.35). This association appeared to be driven primarily by visual hallucinations and thought broadcasting, and specific to children with lower IQ at age 10.

Discussion: The findings suggest that migrant status is associated with increased likelihood of psychotic experiences at age 10 in Tokyo, Japan. Future prospective research should explore social exclusion as a potential underlying mechanism and can further clarify the protective role of IQ and related factors.

Keywords: Epidemiology; Ethnicity; Immigration; Psychosis; Psychotic experiences.