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Child and Adolescent (Juvenile Onset) Schizophrenia

A case control study of premorbid developmental impairments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Chris Hollis
Chris Hollis*
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF
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Abstract

Background

The study tests the hypothesis that juvenile-onset schizophrenia is associated with premorbid developmental impairments. It was predicted that the pattern of developmental impairments would vary with age of onset and with gender.

Method

A case-control design was used to examine developmental impairments in 61 consecutive juvenile-onset (age 7–17) referrals with ICD-9 schizophrenia; 61 non-psychotic psychiatric controls were matched on age and gender. Cases and controls were divided into childhood-onset (age 7–13) and adolescent-onset (age 14–17).

Results

The schizophrenic cases had a significantly higher risk of premorbid social (χ2 = 9.1, P<0.005), motor (χ2 = 9.1, P<0.005) and language impairments (χ2 = 10.1, P<0.005). Specific impairments of language production and comprehension were associated with childhood-onset schizophrenia and were independent of gender.

Conclusions

Juvenile-onset schizophrenia is associated with a range of developmental antecedents. There may be a specific link between cases with a very early onset and an impairment in the processes underlying the development of language.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 166 , Issue 4 , April 1995 , pp. 489 - 495
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1995 

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