“The study confirms the elevated risk and enhances our understanding of the factors influencing mental health issues in the children of affected patients,” explains Josefina Castro Fornieles, study coordinator and researcher at the Mental Health Networking Biomedical Research Centre (CIBERSAM), University of Barcelona’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hospital Clínic, and the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS). The research was conducted in collaboration with Dolores Moreno’s team at the Gregorio Marañón University Hospital in Madrid.

Researchers monitored children of individuals with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder over a four-year period, comparing them to a control group whose parents did not have these conditions. The study involved 238 children aged 6 to 17, who were evaluated at the beginning and end of the study. The team examined variables including psychiatric diagnoses in both parents and children, socioeconomic status, parental age at childbirth, and the presence of subclinical symptoms linked to schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

“Symptom patterns also differ based on the parent’s diagnosis,” notes Elena de la Serna, lead author and CIBERSAM researcher at Hospital Clínic de Barcelona. “Children of parents with schizophrenia are more likely to show attention deficit, disruptive behavior disorders, and subclinical psychotic symptoms. Meanwhile, children of those with bipolar disorder more often exhibit mood disorders, attention deficit, and subclinical bipolar symptoms.”

The study also identifies protective factors that may reduce the risk. Higher parental psychosocial functioning and improved socioeconomic status were linked to fewer mental health issues in children, highlighting the importance of family and social support interventions.

Part of the BASYS (Bipolar and Schizophrenia Young Offspring Study) project, this research underscores the importance of long-term monitoring of children with a family history of serious mental illness and the need for preventive strategies in these high-risk groups.

“While larger-scale studies are still needed, this research provides valuable insights into how vulnerability to mental illness is passed across generations during childhood and adolescence,” the researchers conclude.

Source: https://web.ub.edu/en/web/actualitat/w/offspring-schizophrenia-bipolar-disorder?referer=news