Maternal recall bias, obstetric history and schizophrenia

This study sought to clarify the role of obstetric complications (OCs) and maternal recall bias for patients with first episodes of schizophrenia and those at increased risk of the disorder. Subjects at high risk of schizophrenia were compared with people with first-episode schizophrenia and with he...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of psychiatry 2002-12, Vol.181 (6), p.520-525
Main Authors: McINTOSH, A. M, HOLMES, S, GLEESON, S, BURNS, J. K, HODGES, A. K, BYRNE, M. M, DOBBIE, R, MILLER, P, LAWRIE, S. M, JOHNSTONE, E. C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Analysis of Variance
Behavior
Bias
Child
Child Behavior Checklist
Child Behavior Disorders - psychology
Childhood
Children
Female
Health services
High risk
Humans
Interviews
Mental disorders
Mental Recall
Mothers
Mothers - psychology
Obstetrics
Pregnancy
Pregnancy complications
Pregnancy Complications - psychology
Psychiatry
Psychosis
Psychotic symptoms
Questionnaires
Recall
Risk groups
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia - etiology
Variance analysis
Volunteers
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Summary:This study sought to clarify the role of obstetric complications (OCs) and maternal recall bias for patients with first episodes of schizophrenia and those at increased risk of the disorder. Subjects at high risk of schizophrenia were compared with people with first-episode schizophrenia and with healthy volunteers. Consenting mothers of subjects were interviewed using a standardised questionnaire for the recall of OCs, and OCs were also measured from records collected at the time of pregnancy and delivery. High-risk subjects and first-episode patients had higher rates of OCs recalled by their mother than controls, but hospital records showed no differences in OCs between groups. The number of OCs recalled by mothers of the high-risk group was not related to whether the mother had schizophrenia or not, but was related to the maternally rated abnormal childhood behaviour as measured by the Child Behaviour Checklist. These results suggest that studies that rely on maternal recall alone are susceptible to bias. The excess of OCs recalled by the mother could be related to abnormal behaviour in their child rather than maternal illness, family history or psychotic symptoms.
ISSN:0007-1250
1472-1465
DOI:10.1192/bjp.181.6.520