Specificity of Familial Transmission of Schizophrenia Psychosis Spectrum and Affective Psychoses in the New England Family Study's High-risk Design

Overview

Journal Arch Gen Psychiatry

Specialty Psychiatry

Date 2010 May 5

PMID 20439827

Citations 25

Authors

Jill M Goldstein

Stephen L Buka

Larry J Seidman

Ming T Tsuang

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Context: There is a long history of research on the familial transmission of schizophrenia and other psychoses. However, few studies have investigated the specificity of the transmission of schizophrenia-psychosis spectrum (SPS) disorders and affective psychoses (APs) or observed high-risk offspring into mid-adulthood.

Objectives: To investigate the transmission of psychoses from parents to their offspring and the specificity of transmission across psychosis subtypes.

Design: High-risk follow-up study.

Setting: New England Family Study's High-Risk Study, with population-based community sampling from Boston, Massachusetts, and Providence, Rhode Island.

Participants: A total of 203 high-risk offspring of 159 parents with diagnoses of psychoses (SPS and AP) and 147 control offspring of 114 control parents.

Main Outcome Measures: Systematically assessed research DSM-IV psychiatric diagnoses for adult offspring.

Results: Compared with those of control parents, offspring of parents with SPS had a significant, almost 6-fold elevated risk of SPS disorders and a nonsignificant doubling of risk for AP. Offspring of parents with AP had a significant 14-fold elevated risk for AP compared with offspring of controls; for SPS disorders, the risk doubled but was not significant.

Conclusion: Having a parent with psychosis significantly increased the risk for psychosis among offspring and demonstrated specificity for the transmission of SPS disorders and APs within families.

Citing Articles

'Let's Talk About Children' family focused practice for children of parents with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Xu L, Sheng Z, Zhou T, Xie C, Wang X, Zhang W BMC Psychiatry. 2024; 24(1):5.

PMID: 38166946 PMC: 10763063. DOI: 10.1186/s12888-023-05457-6.

Intergenerational Transmission of Psychiatric Conditions and Psychiatric, Behavioral, and Psychosocial Outcomes in Offspring.

Zhou M, Larsson H, DOnofrio B, Landen M, Lichtenstein P, Pettersson E JAMA Netw Open. 2023; 6(12):e2348439.

PMID: 38117496 PMC: 10733806. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.48439.

Infections During Pregnancy and Risks for Adult Psychosis: Findings from the New England Family Study.

Buka S, Lee Y, Goldstein J Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2022; 61:49-69.

PMID: 36376640 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2022_397.

Sex-dependent associations of maternal androgen levels with offspring BMI and weight trajectory from birth to early childhood.

Huang G, Aroner S, Bay C, Gilman S, Ghassabian A, Loucks E J Endocrinol Invest. 2020; 44(4):851-863.

PMID: 32776198 PMC: 7873156. DOI: 10.1007/s40618-020-01385-4.

Characteristics of youth with reported family history of psychosis spectrum symptoms in the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort.

Taylor J, Asabere N, Calkins M, Moore T, Tang S, Xavier R Schizophr Res. 2019; 216:104-110.

PMID: 31883930 PMC: 7239716. DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2019.12.021.

References

Seidman L, Giuliano A, Smith C, Stone W, Glatt S, Meyer E . Neuropsychological functioning in adolescents and young adults at genetic risk for schizophrenia and affective psychoses: results from the Harvard and Hillside Adolescent High Risk Studies. Schizophr Bull. 2006; 32(3):507-24. PMC: 2632246. DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbj078. View

Schachter J . Development of a screening questionnaire for schizophrenia. A pilot study. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1970; 23(1):30-4. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.1970.01750010032007. View

Yung A, McGorry P . The initial prodrome in psychosis: descriptive and qualitative aspects. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 1996; 30(5):587-99. DOI: 10.3109/00048679609062654. View

WYNNE L, COLE R, Perkins P . University of Rochester Child and Family Study: risk research in progress. Schizophr Bull. 1987; 13(3):463-76. DOI: 10.1093/schbul/13.3.463. View

Sameroff A, Seifer R, Zax M, Barocas R . Early indicators of developmental risk: Rochester Longitudinal Study. Schizophr Bull. 1987; 13(3):383-94. DOI: 10.1093/schbul/13.3.383. View

Rolf J . The social and academic competence of children vulnerable to schizophrenia and other behavior pathologies. J Abnorm Psychol. 1972; 80(3):225-43. DOI: 10.1037/h0033741. View

Rieder R, Rosenthal D, Wender P, BLUMENTHAL H . The offspring of schizophrenics. Fetal and neonatal deaths. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1975; 32(2):200-11. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.1975.01760200064006. View

Marcus J, Auerbach J, Wilkinson L, Burack C . Infants at risk for schizophrenia. The Jerusalem Infant Development Study. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1981; 38(6):703-13. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.1981.01780310103011. View

Weiss J, GRUNEBAUM H, SCHELL R . PSYCHOTIC MOTHERS AND THEIR CHILDREN. II. PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDIES OF MOTHERS CARING FOR THEIR INFANTS AND YOUNG CHILDREN IN A PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1964; 11:90-8. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.1964.01720250092012. View

10.

Johnstone E, Abukmeil S, Byrne M, Clafferty R, Grant E, Hodges A . Edinburgh high risk study--findings after four years: demographic, attainment and psychopathological issues. Schizophr Res. 2000; 46(1):1-15. DOI: 10.1016/s0920-9964(99)00225-x. View

11.

MacCrimmon D, CLEGHORN J, Asarnow R, STEFFY R . Children at risk for schizophrenia. Clinical and attentional characteristics. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1980; 37(6):671-4. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.1980.01780190069008. View

12.

McGlashan T . Early detection and intervention in schizophrenia: research. Schizophr Bull. 1996; 22(2):327-45. DOI: 10.1093/schbul/22.2.327. View

13.

Goodman S . Emory University Project on Children of Disturbed Parents. Schizophr Bull. 1987; 13(3):411-23. DOI: 10.1093/schbul/13.3.411. View

14.

Parnas J, Cannon T, Jacobsen B, Schulsinger H, SCHULSINGER F, Mednick S . Lifetime DSM-III-R diagnostic outcomes in the offspring of schizophrenic mothers. Results from the Copenhagen High-Risk Study. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1993; 50(9):707-14. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.1993.01820210041005. View

15.

SOBEL D . Children of schizophrenic patients: preliminary observations on early development. Am J Psychiatry. 1961; 118:512-7. DOI: 10.1176/ajp.118.6.512. View

16.

MIRSKY A, KUGELMASS S, Ingraham L, Frenkel E, Nathan M . Overview and summary: twenty-five-year followup of high-risk children. Schizophr Bull. 1995; 21(2):227-39. DOI: 10.1093/schbul/21.2.227. View

17.

Myles-Worsley M, Tiobech J, Blailes F, Yano V, Faraone S . Recurrence risk to offspring in extended multiplex schizophrenia pedigrees from a Pacific Island isolate. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet. 2006; 144B(1):41-4. DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.30384. View

18.

Mednick S, Parnas J, SCHULSINGER F . The Copenhagen High-Risk Project, 1962-86. Schizophr Bull. 1987; 13(3):485-95. DOI: 10.1093/schbul/13.3.485. View

19.

Hanson D, Gottesman I, Heston L . Some possible childhood indicators of adult schizophrenia inferred from children of schizophrenics. Br J Psychiatry. 1976; 129:142-54. DOI: 10.1192/bjp.129.2.142. View

20.

Cannon T, Cadenhead K, Cornblatt B, Woods S, Addington J, Walker E . Prediction of psychosis in youth at high clinical risk: a multisite longitudinal study in North America. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2008; 65(1):28-37. PMC: 3065347. DOI: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2007.3. View