Perceived discrimination, a risk factor for developing psychoses in Romanian emigrants?

AIM: Investigating the relationship between the perceived discrimination and the psychotic symptom severity as well as the level of social functioning in Romanian migrants with psychotic disorders, considering that this is a major stressor which contributes to the feeling of alienation from the majority culture. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The assessment included 70 patients admitted to the Cluj Psychiatric Hospital, from January 2007 to April 2010, diagnosed with acute psychotic disorder, schizophrenia and other schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, according to ICD 10 diagnosis criteria. The patients completed the migration questionnaire for socio-demographic variables and the level of discrimination perceived, the psychotic symptom severity being assessed through PANNS and GAF scales. RESULTS: The level of discrimination perceived by the subjects correlated neither with PANNS symptoms (r=−0.051, p>0.05) nor with the social functioning level (r=0.029, p>0.05). The social functioning level had significant negative correlations with the PANNS level of general symptoms(r=−0.41, p>0.05). There are no differences between PANNS symptoms, social functioning and perceived discrimination according to age, gender or illness onset country. There are significantly statistical differences between education categories concerning the general symptoms on PANNS scale, respectively the level of discrimination perceived, the lower level of education being associated with a highly perceived discrimination level. The subjects of rural origin perceived discrimination at a higher level than those from urban area (t=2.31, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Discrimination is perceived more intensely by the subjects from the rural area and with a poorer educational level but this doesn’t correlate with psychotic symptom severity.