In 2018, a group of European researchers observed, from a statistical analysis of the European Network of National Schizophrenia Networks Studying Gene-Environment Interactions (EU-GEI) study, that first-episode psychosis (FEP) varied widely among geographic regions in Europe. The original study appeared in the January 2018 issue ofJAMA Psychiatry. The researchers concluded that FEP frequency was often associated with socioeconomic deprivation, as the highest levels of FEP occurred where home ownership was least common. These areas were often socially fragmented, consisting primarily of transients and others who moved house often. Higher FEP frequency also occurred among heavy cannabis users.
In 2024, the EU-GEI group published a follow-up statistical analysis in which they directly examined the connection between low home ownership,unemployment, and high cannabis use with associated FEP. The researchers included hundreds of adults aged 18-64 in 14 communities in their analysis, using daily and high-potency cannabis users as controls. Ultimately, they discovered that FEP and schizophrenia are in fact associated with lower home ownership, mostly because those who cannot afford homes, and who thus move domiciles frequently, are more likely to suffer from mental illness. However, they found no connection between FEP and unemployment, or FEP and heavy/high-potency cannabis use. That said,cannabis used was associated with affective disorders, like bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and some psychotic symptoms and delusions.
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