Prevalence and risk factors of psychotic symptoms: in the city of Izmir, Turkey

Background Psychotic symptoms, psychotic-like experiences and schizotypal signs can emerge in different sociocultural circumstances and cause clinical or non-clinical pictures. Transient or self-limiting psychotic-like experiences are more prevalent than clinical psychotic disorders. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of psychotic symptoms in an urban area. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among the residents of two districts in the urban area of Izmir, Turkey. Among the systematically selected 1,500 residents of 85,212-study population, a total of 1,268 individuals (response rate: 84.5%) were screened for any lifetime psychotic symptoms. Results Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) was used to assess psychotic symptoms. CIDI (?) psychotic symptoms were found in 3.6% of the screened sample. Logistic regression analysis showed that being a female (OR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.2–5.1), having a first degree family history of any mental disorders (OR = 13.9, 95% CI = 5.7–34.3), lack of social support (OR = 4.5, 95% CI = 2.3–8.6) and alcohol use (OR = 4.9, 95% CI = 2.3–10.6) were all related to psychotic symptoms. Conclusion Prevalence of any psychotic symptom is lower compared to European studies. Alcohol might be considered as a risk factor for developing psychotic symptoms in the Turkish cultural setting