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IQ in childhood psychiatric attendees predicts outcome of later schizophrenia at 21 year follow‐up
Author(s) -
Munro J. C.,
Russell A. J.,
Murray R. M.,
Kerwin R. W.,
Jones P. B.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1034/j.1600-0447.2002.02030.x
Subject(s) - schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , psychiatry , referral , psychosis , etiology , outcome (game theory) , psychology , medicine , intelligence quotient , pediatrics , clinical psychology , cognition , mathematics , mathematical economics , family medicine
Objective: Preschizophrenic children who merit psychiatric referral are claimed to have a particularly malevolent illness when the psychosis develops later. The 21 years outcome of a sample of such children was investigated. Method: Fifty‐one children who attended psychiatric services, and were later diagnosed as having schizophrenia, were followed up a mean of 21 years later. Baseline childhood demographic, clinical and putative aetiological characteristics were identified from the case notes. Follow‐up assessment evaluated clinical symptoms, social functioning and service utilization. The predictive value of baseline factors on outcome was examined. Results: Outcome was poor, and seven (14%) of the subjects were deceased. Childhood IQ was strongly predictive of social outcome ( F =5.1, P =0.01) and service utilization ( F =5.2, P =0.01), but not clinical symptoms. No other factors predicted outcome. Conclusion: Low childhood IQ had an unfavourable impact on social outcome and service utilization once schizophrenia developed.