Table 4.
Categorical and continuous variables associated with Antipsychotic Polypharmacy
| Continuous variables | Time Points ^ |
r (Spearman’s Rho) | P -value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (yrs) | 124 | −0.09 | 0.31 | |
| % White | 33 | −0.23 | 0.20 | |
| % Male | 155 | 0.16 | 0.05 | |
| % Schizophrenia | 130 | 0.23 | 0.01 | |
| Patient f/u (months) | 117 | −0.30 | 0.001 | |
| Baseline CGI (severity) | 6 | 0.54 | 0.27 | |
| Total PANSS score | 5 | 0.10 | 0.87 | |
| Positive PANSS score | 4 | −0.60 | 0.40 | |
| Negative PANSS score | 4 | −0.80 | 0.20 | |
| Total BPRS score | 6 | 0.03 | 0.96 | |
| GAF score | 4 | 0.74 | 0.26 | |
| % FGA | 139 | 0.31 | <0.001 | |
| % SGA | 131 | 0.09 | 0.30 | |
| % Clozapine | 97 | 0.05 | 0.60 | |
| % Long-acting injectable preparations | 65 | 0.26 | 0.04 | |
| % Mood stabilizers | 40 | 0.19 | 0.23 | |
| % Lithium | 49 | −0.06 | 0.71 | |
| % Anticonvulsants | 40 | −0.13 | 0.44 | |
| % Anxiolytics/hypnotics | 94 | 0.11 | 0.29 | |
| % Antidepressants | 98 | −0.23 | 0.02 | |
| % Anticholinergics | 94 | 0.37 | <0.001 | |
| % Long-acting injectable preparations (APP sample) | 29 | 0.36 | 0.05 | |
| % FGA + FGA | 98 | 0.03 | 0.73 | |
| % SGA + SGA | 94 | −0.02 | 0.86 | |
| % FGA + SGA | 106 | 0.05 | 0.58 | |
| Categorical variables | 1st group | 2nd group | P- value+ | |
| From patient interview vs. other sources | 176 | 18.9(4.8–29.9) | 21.0(13.0–38.0) | 0.19 |
| Urban vs. mixed (urban and rural) | 125 | 22.0(13.0–38.0) | 18.5(9.5–29.5) | 0.34 |
| Academic institutions vs. others | 122 | 22.7(10.5–34.0) | 18.9(13.0–37.3) | 0.99 |
| Cross-sectional vs. longitudinal | 196 | 22.0(14.7–39.5) | 17.0(9.9–27.5) | 0.03 |
| Other vs. Inpatient | 175 | 17.0(9.8–24.1) | 27.5(16.1–46.0) | <0.001 |
| Schizophrenia <70% vs. >/= 70%* | 130 | 20.0(7.0–27.0) | 20.0(14.7–43.4) | 0.06 |
| Other decades vs. 1970–1979 | 196 | 19.1(13.0–34.5) | 28–8(7.5–44.4) | 0.47 |
| Other decades vs. 1980–1989 | 196 | 21.0(14.1–34.0) | 17.6(10.8–38.2) | 0.49 |
| Other decades vs. 1990–1999 | 196 | 19.0(13.0–34.0) | 22.0(11.0–40.0) | 0.63 |
| Other decades vs. 2000–2009 | 196 | 20.0(10.8–39.0) | 19.2(14.4–29.9) | 0.76 |
| <1996 vs. >/= 1996 | 196 | 19.0(10.8–40.0) | 19.8(14.1–34.0) | 0.90 |
| Other vs. North America | 196 | 23.0(15.0–42.1) | 16.0(7.2–24.4) | <0.001 |
| Other vs. Asia | 196 | 19.0(11.0–34.0) | 32.0(19.2–53.0) | 0.01 |
| Other vs. Europe | 196 | 17.1(9.1–28.3) | 23.0(15.0–42.1) | 0.006 |
| Other vs. Oceania | 196 | 20.0(13.0–37.3) | 16.4(9.8–20.0) | 0.09 |
| Clozapine <5% vs. >/= 5% * | 93 | 16.3(6.2–38.2) | 23.5(15.0–36.6) | 0.24 |
| Long-acting injectable <25% vs. >/=25%* | 65 | 22.0(15.2–35.0) | 35.7(18.5–46.0) | 0.04 |
| Mood stabilizers <5% vs. >/= 5%* | 40 | 20.9(11.9–23.9) | 22.0(15.9–29.5) | 0.46 |
| Lithium <5% vs. >/= 5%* | 48 | 18.9(10.5–37.8) | 16.9(11.9–35.0) | 0.77 |
| Anticonvulsants <5% vs. >/= 5%* | 40 | 28.5(16.2–51.5) | 25.6(14.4–41.7) | 0.52 |
| Anxiolytics/hypnotics <5% vs. >/= 5%* | 94 | 13.7(7.9–36.4) | 20.2(10.5–34.0) | 0.52 |
| Antidepressants <5% vs. >/= 5%* | 98 | 17.5(8.8–45.0) | 20.2(9.4–34.0) | 0.89 |
| Antidepressants <5% vs. >/= 5%* | 94 | 8.8(2.0–39.0) | 24.3(15.2–40.0) | 0.32 |
*
Continuous variables were dichotomized based on described values.
^
Number of time points: some studies reported in a single article two or more APP rates, examined at different points in time (e.g. 1999 and 2000), constituting two or more different individual samples in our database. Total Number of studies: 147. Total number of time points: 196. APP: antipsychotic polypharmacy; CGI: Clinical Global Impressions Scale; PANSS: Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale; BPRS: Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale; GAF: Global Assessment of Functioning Scale; FGA: First-Generation Antipsychotic. SGA: Second-Generation Antipsychotic.
+
Mann-Whitney test.