A cross-sectional study to investigate current social adjustment of offspring of patients with schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the impact of parental disorder in the life of adult offspring by evaluating education, current employment and marital status of a sample of offspring of patients with schizophrenia and comparing findings with population rates.

METHODS

A sample of 489 patients with DSM-IV diagnoses of schizophrenia was identified in the public outpatient mental health services of the city of Cuiabá, Brazil. Of these patients, 294 had children, and a total of 828 offspring were identified. Data for 431 offspring aged 18 years or older were collected using a structured questionnaire answered by the patient-parent and a family member.

RESULTS

The percentage of age-grade discrepancy for offspring aged 18 and 19 years was 59.2% (95%CI 45.4-73.0), not significantly different from the discrepancy rate for the same age group in the general population, which was 71.1%. Offspring of patients with schizophrenia had a significantly poorer employment situation than the general population (66.7% and 75.6%; 95%CI 62.1-71.3). Fewer male offspring were married than males in the general population (54.7% and 66.0%; 95%CI 48.2-61.2).

CONCLUSION

Adult offspring of patients with schizophrenia had social adjustment problems that were markedly reflected in employment and marital status.