Giordano, G.M., Bucci, P., Mucci, A., Pezzella, P., & Galderisi, S. (2021). Gender difference in clinical and psychosocial features among persons with schizophrenia: A mini review. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 789179.
The study sheds light on the gender differences in schizophrenia onset. Schizophrenia in women or men manifests itself at different ages. Thus, the symptoms of schizophrenia in men appear at an earlier age than in women. Giordano et al. (2021) state that men have an earlier onset age than women with schizophrenia, with a difference of 1 to 10 years. In men, onset is noted in their early-to mid-twenties, while in females, it has been reported in their late-twenties (Giordano et al., 2021). Moreover, the researchers explain why the earlier age of onset of schizophrenia in men compared to women. According to Giordano et al. (2021), men may be more susceptible to schizophrenia at a younger age than women because women have higher estrogen levels from excess dopamine metabolism. Thus, this study confirms the research hypothesis.
Sommer, I. E., Tiihonen, J., van Mourik, A., Tanskanen, A., & Taipale, H. (2020). The clinical course of schizophrenia in women and men – a nation-wide cohort study. npj Schizophrenia, 6(1), 1-12.
Researchers are considering various aspects of the development and course of schizophrenia, including gender features of the onset of schizophrenia. Men and women differ in the age of onset of schizophrenia. The authors concluded that men are diagnosed with schizophrenia earlier than women. According to Sommer et al. (2020), men are diagnosed with schizophrenia at 34.4 years, while women are diagnosed at 38.2 years. While males peaked around age 22, with a distribution skewed to the right, females experienced a more plateau-like phase between ages 18 and 65, with slightly higher values between ages 18 and 35 (Sommer et al., 2020). Therefore, this study is consistent with the findings of Giordano et al. (2021) and also confirms the research hypothesis.
References
Giordano, G.M., Bucci, P., Mucci, A.,Pezzella, P., & Galderisi, S. (2021). Gender difference in clinical and psychosocial features among persons with schizophrenia: A mini review. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 789179.
Sommer, I. E., Tiihonen, J., van Mourik, A., Tanskanen, A., & Taipale, H. (2020). The clinical course of schizophrenia in women and men – a nation-wide cohort study. npj Schizophrenia, 6(1), 1-12.