Pregnancy complications have been associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia in women, but researchers from the National Institute of Health and Welfare in Helsinki, Finland recently studied the possible mental impact on children.
Researchers used information collected by the Helsinki HR Study. Women included in the study were born between 1916 and 1948 with children born between 1941 and 1977. All women had been treated for schizophrenia at a Helsinki hospital.
Children of 271 high-risk participants and 242 control participants were used for the research. When pregnancy complications were taken into consideration, researchers found a higher risk of psychosis among high-risk children than children in the control group. Complications between the two participants groups were generally the same, so these complications did not appear to impact results.
Children born to women with schizophrenia may be at increased risk of developing schizophrenia. Development of the disorder may be rooted in fetal development.
Source: Suvisaari JM, Taxell-Lassas V, Pankakoski M, Haukka JK, Lönnqvist JK, Häkkinen LT. Obstetric Complications as Risk Factors for Schizophrenia Spectrum Psychoses in Offspring of Mothers With Psychotic Disorder. Schizophr Bull. 2012 Sep 20.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23002182
