Childhood Schizotypy and Adolescent Mental Disorder

Overview

Journal Schizophr Bull

Publisher Oxford University Press

Specialty Psychiatry

Date 2023 Sep 4

PMID 37665656

Authors

Kirstie OHare

Oliver Watkeys

Kimberlie Dean

Kristin R Laurens

Stacy Tzoumakis

Felicity Harris

Vaughan J Carr

Melissa J Green

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background And Hypothesis: Schizotypy provides a framework for understanding the developmental nature of psychotic disorders and a means of identifying "at-risk" individuals early in the lifespan. However, there is a lack of prospective longitudinal research examining the relationship between schizotypy in childhood and later psychotic and other mental disorders. We hypothesized that distinct profiles of schizotypy in childhood would be differentially associated with psychotic and other mental disorders emerging later in adolescence.

Study Design: In a large population cohort of Australian young people (n = 26 837), we prospectively examined the relationship between person-centered profiles of schizotypy identified in middle childhood (age ~11 years) and adolescent diagnoses (age ~13-18 years) across 7 types of mental disorders using multinomial logistic regression.

Results: Membership in any of 3 childhood schizotypy profiles (true schizotypy, affective schizotypy, or introverted schizotypy) was associated with an increased likelihood of being diagnosed with any type of mental disorder in adolescence; effects were strongest for the true schizotypy group (aOR = 3.07, 95% CI = 2.64, 3.57), followed by the introverted (aOR = 1.94, 95% CI = 1.75, 2.15) and affective (aOR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.13, 1.47) schizotypy groups. Six of the 7 types of mental disorders measured (including psychotic disorders) were associated with at least 1 schizotypy group.

Conclusions: Schizotypy in middle childhood is an important correlate of mental disorders in adolescence; however, it does not appear to be specifically associated with psychotic disorders in this age group.

Citing Articles

Schizotypy, Psychosis Proneness, and the Polygenic Risk for Schizophrenia and Resilience.

Meller T, Lundberg C, Maj C, Hoffmann P, Forstner A, Nothen M Schizophr Bull. 2025; 51(Supplement_2):S85-S94.

PMID: 40037822 PMC: 11879570. DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbae161.

Neuropsychology and Neurobiology of Negative Schizotypy: A Selective Review.

Wang L, Lui S, Chan R Biol Psychiatry Glob Open Sci. 2024; 4(4):100317.

PMID: 38711865 PMC: 11070600. DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2024.100317.

References

Jones P . Adult mental health disorders and their age at onset. Br J Psychiatry Suppl. 2013; 54:s5-10. DOI: 10.1192/bjp.bp.112.119164. View

Fisher H, Caspi A, Poulton R, Meier M, Houts R, Harrington H . Specificity of childhood psychotic symptoms for predicting schizophrenia by 38 years of age: a birth cohort study. Psychol Med. 2013; 43(10):2077-86. PMC: 3758773. DOI: 10.1017/S0033291712003091. View

Green M, Watkeys O, Harris F, OHare K, Whitten T, Tzoumakis S . Cohort Profile Update: The New South Wales Child Development Study (NSW-CDS) - Wave 3 (child age ∼18 years). Int J Epidemiol. 2024; 53(3). DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyae069. View

Kirli U, Binbay T, Drukker M, Elbi H, Kayahan B, Keskin Gokcelli D . DSM outcomes of psychotic experiences and associated risk factors: 6-year follow-up study in a community-based sample. Psychol Med. 2018; 49(8):1346-1356. DOI: 10.1017/S0033291718001964. View

Green M, Harris F, Laurens K, Kariuki M, Tzoumakis S, Dean K . Cohort Profile: The New South Wales Child Development Study (NSW-CDS)-Wave 2 (child age 13 years). Int J Epidemiol. 2018; 47(5):1396-1397k. DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyy115. View

Fusar-Poli P, Davies C, Solmi M, Brondino N, De Micheli A, Kotlicka-Antczak M . Preventive Treatments for Psychosis: Umbrella Review (Just the Evidence). Front Psychiatry. 2020; 10:764. PMC: 6917652. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00764. View

Fonseca-Pedrero E, Debbane M, Rodriguez-Testal J, Cohen A, Docherty A, Ortuno-Sierra J . Schizotypy: The Way Ahead. Psicothema. 2021; 33(1):16-27. DOI: 10.7334/psicothema2019.285. View

Carr V, Harris F, Raudino A, Luo L, Kariuki M, Liu E . New South Wales Child Development Study (NSW-CDS): an Australian multiagency, multigenerational, longitudinal record linkage study. BMJ Open. 2016; 6(2):e009023. PMC: 4762073. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2015-009023. View

Crow T . Molecular pathology of schizophrenia: more than one disease process?. Br Med J. 1980; 280(6207):66-8. PMC: 1600263. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.280.6207.66. View

10.

OHare K, Watkeys O, Whitten T, Dean K, Laurens K, Harris F . Cumulative environmental risk in early life is associated with mental disorders in childhood. Psychol Med. 2022; 53(10):4762-4771. DOI: 10.1017/S0033291722001702. View

11.

Caspi A, Moffitt T . All for One and One for All: Mental Disorders in One Dimension. Am J Psychiatry. 2018; 175(9):831-844. PMC: 6120790. DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2018.17121383. View

12.

OHare K, Laurens K, Watkeys O, Tzoumakis S, Dean K, Harris F . Parental mental disorders and offspring schizotypy in middle childhood: an intergenerational record linkage study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2023; 58(11):1637-1648. PMC: 10562332. DOI: 10.1007/s00127-023-02455-7. View

13.

Raine A, Reynolds C, Lencz T, Scerbo A, Triphon N, Kim D . Cognitive-perceptual, interpersonal, and disorganized features of schizotypal personality. Schizophr Bull. 1994; 20(1):191-201. DOI: 10.1093/schbul/20.1.191. View

14.

Debbane M, Barrantes-Vidal N . Schizotypy from a developmental perspective. Schizophr Bull. 2014; 41 Suppl 2:S386-95. PMC: 4373627. DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbu175. View

15.

Healy C, Brannigan R, Dooley N, Coughlan H, Clarke M, Kelleher I . Childhood and adolescent psychotic experiences and risk of mental disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychol Med. 2019; 49(10):1589-1599. DOI: 10.1017/S0033291719000485. View

16.

Schimmelmann B, Michel C, Martz-Irngartinger A, Linder C, Schultze-Lutter F . Age matters in the prevalence and clinical significance of ultra-high-risk for psychosis symptoms and criteria in the general population: Findings from the BEAR and BEARS-kid studies. World Psychiatry. 2015; 14(2):189-97. PMC: 4471976. DOI: 10.1002/wps.20216. View

17.

Jablensky A . Subtyping schizophrenia: implications for genetic research. Mol Psychiatry. 2006; 11(9):815-36. DOI: 10.1038/sj.mp.4001857. View

18.

Caspi A, Houts R, Ambler A, Danese A, Elliott M, Hariri A . Longitudinal Assessment of Mental Health Disorders and Comorbidities Across 4 Decades Among Participants in the Dunedin Birth Cohort Study. JAMA Netw Open. 2020; 3(4):e203221. PMC: 7175086. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.3221. View

19.

Kaymaz N, Drukker M, Lieb R, Wittchen H, Werbeloff N, Weiser M . Do subthreshold psychotic experiences predict clinical outcomes in unselected non-help-seeking population-based samples? A systematic review and meta-analysis, enriched with new results. Psychol Med. 2012; 42(11):2239-53. DOI: 10.1017/S0033291711002911. View

20.

Laurens K, Tzoumakis S, Dean K, Brinkman S, Bore M, Lenroot R . The 2015 Middle Childhood Survey (MCS) of mental health and well-being at age 11 years in an Australian population cohort. BMJ Open. 2017; 7(6):e016244. PMC: 5726143. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016244. View