Early life precursors of psychiatric outcomes in adulthood in subjects at risk for schizophrenia or affective disorders

• Published in: Psychiatry research 1991-12, Vol.39 (3), p.239-256
• Main Authors: Erlenmeyer-Kimling, L., Rock, Donald, Squires-Wheeler, Elizabeth, Roberts, Simone, Yang, Jack
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Biological and medical sciences; Bipolar Disorder - diagnosis; Bipolar Disorder - genetics; Bipolar Disorder - psychology; Child; Child of Impaired Parents - psychology; Depressive Disorder - diagnosis; Depressive Disorder - genetics; Depressive Disorder - psychology; Female; Follow-Up Studies; High-risk studies; hospitalization; Humans; Life Change Events; Male; Medical sciences; path analysis; Personality Development; precursors; psychological dysfunction; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychoses; psychosis; Risk Factors; Schizophrenia - diagnosis; Schizophrenia - genetics; Schizophrenic Psychology; Social Environment
• ISSN: 0165-1781; 1872-7123
• DOI: 10.1016/0165-1781(91)90091-3

In the New York High-Risk Project (NYHRP), 186 offspring of schizophrenic, affectively ill, and psychiatrically normal parents have been followed prospectively from 1971–1972 to the average age of 27 years in 1990 with the goal of identifying early precursors of later psychopathology. In this report, we use path analyses to examine the relationship of several life-history variables to three pathological outcomes in the offspring: namely, psychosis, psychiatric hospitalization, and psychological dysfunction. The chief direct relationship with these outcomes is the effect of having a schizophrenic parent. The latter effect is also mediated indirectly by IQ.