I. Persson‐Blennow

Offspring of women with nonorganic psychoses. Development of a longitudinal study of children at high risk.

ABSTRACT– This article describes the development of a prospective, longitudinal study of 88 “high‐risk” offspring of pregnant index women with a history of nonorganic psychoses and 104 offspring of demographically‐similar pregnant control women. The maternal psychoses represented the diagnostic categories, Schizophrenia, Cycloid Psychosis, Affective Illness, Psychogenic Psychosis, Postpartum Psychosis and Other (remaining) Psychoses. The first phase of the study began during pregnancy and continued until the offspring reached 2 years of age. Selected characteristics of the mothers, the offspring and their environments were investigated during this project phase.

Offspring of women with nonorganic psychosis: mother‐infant interaction at three days of age

ABSTRACT– Mother‐infant interaction during a feeding was studied at about 3 days of age in 51 index mother‐infant pairs in which the mother had a history of nonorganic psychosis and in. 73 demographically similar control pairs. Interaction was significantly more negative and deviant in index than control cases, index mothers establishing a significantly more negative emotional climaie and less harmony in feeding, evidencing more tension and uncertainty, and showing less social contact toward the infant. Index infants showed significantly less social contact toward the mother and index pairs less reciprocal visual contact than did controls. While the Schizophrenic, Cycloid and Nonendogenous Psychoses groups each differed from their matched controls on a number of variables, the Affective group was not in any way more negative than its controls on interaction.

Offspring of women with nonorganic psychosis: infant attachment to the mother at one year of age

ABSTRACT– Attachment to the mother at 1 year of age was studied in 46 “high‐risk” offspring of index mothers with a history of non‐organic psychosis and in 80 demographically similar control offspring. Attachment was measured in the home in a standardized manner by a modified version of Ainsworths Strange Situation procedure. Three different patterns, representing “secure attachment” (Type B), “anxiously avoidant attachment” (Type A) and “anxiously ambivalent attachment” (Type C), were defined. While no significant difference on attachment type was found between the total index versus control group, a significantly increased rate of anxious attachment (A + C) was found for offspring of schizophrenics but no other diagnostic group. Attachment type was unrelated to index mothers’ psychiatric hospitalization, psychotic status and known mental disturbance during the infants’ first year of life, as well as to the infants’ sex.

Offspring of women with nonorganic psychosis: mother‐infant interaction at three and six weeks of age

Abstract Mother‐infant interaction during feeding and in an unstructured play situation was studied in the home at 3 weeks and 6 weeks of age in index mother‐infant pairs in which the mother had a history of non‐organic psychosis (n = 42 and 51 at 3 and 6 weeks, respectively) and in demographically similar control pairs (n ‐ 60 and 78J. At both ages, interaction was significantly more negative in index than control cases, index mothers showing increased tension and a lack of harmony, decreased social contact, and reduced sensitivity to the infants needs. Fewer significant differences were found between index and control infants. Mothers in the Schizophrenic, Cycloid and Nonendogenous groups evidenced more negative interaction characteristics than did their matched controls, but the Affective group was not in any way more negative than its controls.

TEMPERAMENT CHARACTERISTICS OF CHILDREN IN RELATION TO GENDER, BIRTH ORDER, AND SOCIAL CLASS

The nine NYLS temperament variables were studied in relation to gender, birth order, and social class among a sample of 160 children studied at six months, and at one and two years of age. The factors studied did not appear to play a significant role in determining individual differences in temperament.

Offspring of women with nonorganic psychosis: mother‐infant interaction at three‐and‐a‐half and six months of age

ABSTRACT Mother‐infant interaction during feeding and in an unstructured play situation was studied in the home at 3.5 and 6 months of age in index mother‐infant pairs in which the mother had a history of nonorganic psychosis (n= 48 and 52 at 3.5 and 6 months, respectively) and in demo‐graphically similar control pairs (n ‐ 80 and 79). Interaction was significantly more negative in index than control cases at both ages, index cases showing decreased maternal and infant social contact and reduced maternal sensitivity to the infants needs. Schizophrenic and Cycloid groups evidenced more negative interaction characteristics than did their matched controls, while the Affective group was not generally more negative than its controls.

REPRODUCTION IN FEMALE PSYCHIATRIC PATIENTS: SEVERITY OF MENTAL DISTURBANCE NEAR REPRODUCTION AND RATES OF OBSTETRIC COMPLICATIONS

The relationship was studied between degree of active maternal mental disturbance near reproduction and the total number of obstetric complications during 169 reproductions for 99 female psychiatric patients. The primary source of information on active mental disturbance was the psychiatric records of the patients. Degree of disturbance was rated on a seven‐point general psychopathology scale, both for the 10 months prior to delivery and for the first 10 months postpartum. Degree of active maternal mental disturbance during pregnancy was unrelated to total number of obstetric complications. Degree of active maternal mental disturbance postpartum was slightly negatively related to total number of obstetric complications. The current data did not support the psychosomatic hypothesis of a relationship between maternal mental disturbance and somatic complications, nor did the data support the hypothesis that obstetric complications are the intermediating link between severity of psychiatric disturbance in mothers and increased risk for disturbance in their offspring.

Offspring of women with nonorganic psychosis: fear of strangers during the first year of life

ABSTRACT– Fear of strangers (FOS) during the infants first year was studied in 46 “high‐risk” offspring of index mothers with a history of nonorganic psychosis and in 80 demographically similar control offspring. FOS was measured in the home by a standardized test at 1 year of age and by repeated interviews with the mother during the first year. As compared with controls, the total index group, and the subgroups of offspring of mothers with Schizophrenia and Cycloid Psychosis, significantly more often showed a total absence of FOS in the test at 1 year, as well as during the entire first year. FOS at 1 year was unrelated both to serious active psychiatric disturbance in index mothers during the infants first year of life, and the infants sex, in index and control groups.

Offspring of women with nonorganic psychosis: antecedents of anxious attachment to the mother at one year of age

Mother‐infant interaction characteristics at six ages during the first year of life were studied in relationship to the development of the infants anxious vs. secure attachment to the mother at 1 year of age. The same antecedent maternal characteristics, notably less harmony during feeding and less consideration for the childs needs in play, were associated with anxious attachment in both index and control groups. In contrast, control infants’ behaviors were totally unrelated to the development of anxious attachment, while index infants developing anxious attachment evidenced reduced social contact toward the mother and increased crying prior to 1 year, suggesting either vulnerability to negative maternal influence or initial deviations in these index offspring.

A prospective study of postpartum psychoses in a high-risk group. 7. Relationship to later offspring characteristics

Among the offspring of 88 pregnant index women with a history of nonorganic psychosis, offspring whose mothers developed postpartum psychotic episodes (PPPs) following birth (maximum n= 17) were compared with the remaining index offspring on emotional development during the first year of life, temperament characteristics during the first 2 years, and mental characteristics at 6 years of age. The maternal PPPs were not associated with any negative consequences for offspring development, and the offspring of PPP cases evidenced a number of more positive mental developmental characteristics than did other index offspring. Further comparison with offspring of normal‐risk controls also supported the conclusion of no negative effect caused by maternal PPPs. Choice of an appropriate comparison group for PPP cases is discussed.