Schizophrenia genetic risk and labour market outcomes in the Finnish general population: Are schizophrenia-related traits penalised or rewarded?

Background: Schizophrenia polygenic risk scores (SCZPRS) have been linked to cognitive functioning, creativity, behavioural traits, and psychiatric conditions beyond schizophrenia. This study examines how labour market segments reward or penalise traits associated with SCZPRS in the general populati...

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Main Authors: Aaro Hazak, Johanna Liuhanen, Katri Kantojärvi, Sonja Sulkava, Tuija Jääskeläinen, Veikko Salomaa, Seppo Koskinen, Markus Perola, Tiina Paunio
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Comprehensive Psychiatry
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010440X25000276
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author Aaro Hazak
Johanna Liuhanen
Katri Kantojärvi
Sonja Sulkava
Tuija Jääskeläinen
Veikko Salomaa
Seppo Koskinen
Markus Perola
Tiina Paunio
author_facet Aaro Hazak
Johanna Liuhanen
Katri Kantojärvi
Sonja Sulkava
Tuija Jääskeläinen
Veikko Salomaa
Seppo Koskinen
Markus Perola
Tiina Paunio
author_sort Aaro Hazak
collection DOAJ
description Background: Schizophrenia polygenic risk scores (SCZPRS) have been linked to cognitive functioning, creativity, behavioural traits, and psychiatric conditions beyond schizophrenia. This study examines how labour market segments reward or penalise traits associated with SCZPRS in the general population. Methods: We merged genetic, socio-economic and health registry data with repeated cross-sectional survey data from six Finnish cohorts (1992 to 2017), representing individuals aged 25–64 across Finnish regions (N = 20,121). Various regression models were employed to study labour market outcomes. Results: Individuals in the highest SCZPRS quintile were 6.4 percentage points less likely to be employed than those in the lowest quintile (P < 0.001; 99.5 % CI: 3.9–9.0 pp). Among employed individuals in knowledge-based occupations, an inverse U-shaped relationship between SCZPRS and income emerged after 2000. Knowledge workers in both the lowest (P = 0.004) and highest (P = 0.03) SCZPRS quintiles were 4–5 percentage points less likely to be in the highest income tertile than those in the middle quintile. No significant association was found between SCZPRS and income in physical labour. Conclusions: Beyond its overall negative association with employment, SCZPRS exhibits a non-linear relationship with income in cognitive-intensive occupations, where both low and high SCZPRS appear to be penalised. This pattern became more pronounced post-2000, coinciding with rising income inequality and technological advancements, likely reshaping labour market demands. While effect sizes are substantial, compensatory factors may mitigate these outcomes. Greater awareness of these associations and individual differences in labour market experiences could contribute to a more inclusive society.
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spelling doaj-art-5cc437ddab4e46ac9422a2638fd81ac42025-08-20T02:30:55ZengElsevierComprehensive Psychiatry0010-440X2025-07-0114015260010.1016/j.comppsych.2025.152600Schizophrenia genetic risk and labour market outcomes in the Finnish general population: Are schizophrenia-related traits penalised or rewarded?Aaro Hazak0Johanna Liuhanen1Katri Kantojärvi2Sonja Sulkava3Tuija Jääskeläinen4Veikko Salomaa5Seppo Koskinen6Markus Perola7Tiina Paunio8Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Department of Public Health, Helsinki, Finland; University of Helsinki, Department of Psychiatry / SleepWell Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, Helsinki, Finland; Aalto University, Department of Finance, Espoo, Finland; Tallinn University of Technology, Department of Economics and Finance, Tallinn, Estonia; Corresponding author at: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Mannerheimintie 166, 00300 Helsinki, Finland.Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Department of Public Health, Helsinki, Finland; University of Helsinki, Department of Psychiatry / SleepWell Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, Helsinki, Finland; Tallinn University of Technology, Department of Economics and Finance, Tallinn, Estonia; HUS Helsinki University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Helsinki, FinlandFinnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Department of Public Health, Helsinki, Finland; University of Helsinki, Department of Psychiatry / SleepWell Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, Helsinki, Finland; HUS Helsinki University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Helsinki, FinlandFinnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Department of Public Health, Helsinki, Finland; University of Helsinki, Department of Psychiatry / SleepWell Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, Helsinki, Finland; HUS Helsinki University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Helsinki, Finland; HUS Helsinki University Hospital, Department of Clinical Genetics, Helsinki, FinlandFinnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Department of Public Health, Helsinki, FinlandFinnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Department of Public Health, Helsinki, FinlandFinnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Department of Public Health, Helsinki, FinlandFinnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Department of Public Health, Helsinki, Finland; University of Helsinki, Research Program for Clinical and Molecular Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, Helsinki, FinlandFinnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Department of Public Health, Helsinki, Finland; University of Helsinki, Department of Psychiatry / SleepWell Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, Helsinki, Finland; HUS Helsinki University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Helsinki, FinlandBackground: Schizophrenia polygenic risk scores (SCZPRS) have been linked to cognitive functioning, creativity, behavioural traits, and psychiatric conditions beyond schizophrenia. This study examines how labour market segments reward or penalise traits associated with SCZPRS in the general population. Methods: We merged genetic, socio-economic and health registry data with repeated cross-sectional survey data from six Finnish cohorts (1992 to 2017), representing individuals aged 25–64 across Finnish regions (N = 20,121). Various regression models were employed to study labour market outcomes. Results: Individuals in the highest SCZPRS quintile were 6.4 percentage points less likely to be employed than those in the lowest quintile (P < 0.001; 99.5 % CI: 3.9–9.0 pp). Among employed individuals in knowledge-based occupations, an inverse U-shaped relationship between SCZPRS and income emerged after 2000. Knowledge workers in both the lowest (P = 0.004) and highest (P = 0.03) SCZPRS quintiles were 4–5 percentage points less likely to be in the highest income tertile than those in the middle quintile. No significant association was found between SCZPRS and income in physical labour. Conclusions: Beyond its overall negative association with employment, SCZPRS exhibits a non-linear relationship with income in cognitive-intensive occupations, where both low and high SCZPRS appear to be penalised. This pattern became more pronounced post-2000, coinciding with rising income inequality and technological advancements, likely reshaping labour market demands. While effect sizes are substantial, compensatory factors may mitigate these outcomes. Greater awareness of these associations and individual differences in labour market experiences could contribute to a more inclusive society.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010440X25000276SchizophreniaPolygenic scoreIncomeOccupationEmploymentCognitive skills
spellingShingle Aaro Hazak
Johanna Liuhanen
Katri Kantojärvi
Sonja Sulkava
Tuija Jääskeläinen
Veikko Salomaa
Seppo Koskinen
Markus Perola
Tiina Paunio
Schizophrenia genetic risk and labour market outcomes in the Finnish general population: Are schizophrenia-related traits penalised or rewarded?
Comprehensive Psychiatry
Schizophrenia
Polygenic score
Income
Occupation
Employment
Cognitive skills
title Schizophrenia genetic risk and labour market outcomes in the Finnish general population: Are schizophrenia-related traits penalised or rewarded?
title_full Schizophrenia genetic risk and labour market outcomes in the Finnish general population: Are schizophrenia-related traits penalised or rewarded?
title_fullStr Schizophrenia genetic risk and labour market outcomes in the Finnish general population: Are schizophrenia-related traits penalised or rewarded?
title_full_unstemmed Schizophrenia genetic risk and labour market outcomes in the Finnish general population: Are schizophrenia-related traits penalised or rewarded?
title_short Schizophrenia genetic risk and labour market outcomes in the Finnish general population: Are schizophrenia-related traits penalised or rewarded?
title_sort schizophrenia genetic risk and labour market outcomes in the finnish general population are schizophrenia related traits penalised or rewarded
topic Schizophrenia
Polygenic score
Income
Occupation
Employment
Cognitive skills
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010440X25000276
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