The offspring of schizophrenic parents: A review

This paper reviews the literature on the offspring of schizophrenic parents. Older papers are compared with more recent data that have been gathered as part of studies investigating the etiology of schizophrenia. Rather than discussing the implications these new studies have for the causation of schizophrenia, this paper focuses upon their clinical findings. These studies have shown: A) there is a wide spectrum of psychopathology found among the adult offspring of schizophrenics, ranging from schizoid disorders through schizophrenia to psychopathy, as Kallmann first described; b) that the incidence of this spectrum of psychopathology among these offspring is high, ranging from 25 to 45 per cent; and c) that the offspring of schizophrenics, as children, also show a considerable incidence of social and psychological maladjustment, estimated around 20 per cent, again with two prominent types: A withdrawn, schizoid type; and a hyperactive, asocial, delinquent type. As opposed to older reports, these children do differ from the offspring of controls.