Outcomes 1 year after a first episode of psychosis in migrants to the Republic of Ireland

BACKGROUND: Migration is a robust risk factor for developing a psychotic disorder, yet there is a paucity of research on the outcomes of migrants who develop a psychotic disorder. Identifying sub-groups within FEP cohorts who have a poorer outcome, could assist in the development and delivery of more targeted interventions.

AIMS: There is a paucity of research on the outcomes of migrants who develop a psychotic disorder. This study aimed to evaluate a broad range of outcomes for those with a FEP who migrated to the Republic of Ireland, including: (i) symptomatic; (ii) functional; (iii) hospitalisation and (iv) engagement with psychosocial services.

METHODS: All individuals with a FEP aged 18 to 65 who presented between 01.02.2006 and 01.07.2014 were included. Structured and validated instruments were used to measure positive, negative, depressive symptoms and insight.

RESULTS: Of the 573 individuals with a FEP, 22.3% were first-generation migrants and 63.4% ( n  = 363) were followed up at 1 year. At this time, 72.4% of migrants were in remission of positive psychotic symptoms compared to 78.5% of the Irish born ( OR  = 0.84, 95% CI [0.50-1.41], p  = .51). In relation to negative symptoms, 60.5% of migrants were in remission compared to 67.2% of the Irish born ( OR  = 0.75, 95% CI [0.44-1.27], p  = .283). There was no difference in the severity of positive, negative or depressive symptoms between groups and there was a trend for the Irish born to have better insight ( p  = .056). The functional outcomes were similar across groups. One third of migrants were admitted to hospital compared to 28.7% of the Irish born ( OR  = 1.24, 95% CI [0.73-2.13], p  = .426). Just over half of both groups attended CBT and 46.2% of caregivers for migrants attended the psychoeducation programme, compared to 39.7% for the Irish born ( OR  = 1.30, 95% CI [0.79-2.16], p  = .306).

CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that migrants have broadly similar outcomes to the native-born populations, however there is still considerable scope for the outcomes for all individuals affected by psychotic disorders to be improved.