Whitley Elise, Gale Catharine R, Deary Ian J, Kivimaki Mika, Batty G David
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, England, UK.
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2011 Oct;68(10):1032-8. doi: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.111.
Individuals with lower IQ scores have an increased risk of psychological disorders, mental health problems, and suicide; similarly, children with low IQ scores are more likely to have behavioral, emotional, and anxiety disorders. However, little is known about the effect of parental IQ on the mental health outcomes of their children.
To determine whether maternal and paternal IQ scores are associated with offspring conduct, emotional, and attention scores.
Cohort study.
General population.
Members of the 1958 National Child Development Study and their offspring were studied. Of 2984 parent-offspring pairs with nonadopted children 4 years or older, 2202 pairs had complete data regarding all variables of interest and were included in the analyses.
Offspring conduct, emotional, and attention scores based on the Behavioral Problems Index for children aged 4 to 6 years or the Rutter A scale for children and adolescents 7 years and older.
Little evidence was observed of any association of parental IQ with conduct or emotional problems in children aged 4 to 6 years. However, among children and adolescents 7 years or older, strong evidence was observed from age- and sex-adjusted models to support a decrease in conduct, emotional, and attention problems in those whose parents had higher IQ scores. These associations were linear across the full IQ range. Individual adjustments for socioeconomic status and the child's own IQ had limited effect. However, adjustments for Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment scores and parental malaise attenuated associations with the mother's IQ but had little effect on associations with the father's IQ (scores were available for only 1 parent for each child or adolescent). Strong associations were no longer evident in models that simultaneously adjusted for all 4 potential mediating variables.
Children whose parents score poorly on IQ tests may have an increased risk of conduct, emotional, and attention problems. The home environment, parental malaise, and the child's own IQ may have a role in explaining these associations.
智商得分较低的个体患心理障碍、心理健康问题及自杀的风险增加；同样，智商得分低的儿童更易出现行为、情绪和焦虑障碍。然而，关于父母智商对其子女心理健康结果的影响却知之甚少。
确定母亲和父亲的智商得分是否与后代的行为、情绪及注意力得分相关。
队列研究。
普通人群。
对1958年全国儿童发展研究的成员及其后代进行研究。在2984对有4岁及以上非领养子女的亲子对中，2202对拥有所有感兴趣变量的完整数据并纳入分析。
基于4至6岁儿童行为问题指数或7岁及以上儿童和青少年的拉特A量表得出的后代行为、情绪及注意力得分。
未观察到父母智商与4至6岁儿童的行为或情绪问题之间存在任何关联的证据。然而，在7岁及以上的儿童和青少年中，年龄和性别调整模型中有强有力的证据支持，父母智商较高的儿童在行为、情绪和注意力问题方面有所减少。这些关联在整个智商范围内呈线性。对社会经济地位和儿童自身智商进行个体调整的影响有限。然而，对家庭环境观察评分和父母不适进行调整减弱了与母亲智商的关联，但对与父亲智商的关联影响不大（每个儿童或青少年仅有一位家长的得分）。在同时对所有4个潜在中介变量进行调整的模型中，强关联不再明显。
父母在智商测试中得分较低的儿童可能出现行为、情绪和注意力问题的风险增加。家庭环境、父母不适和儿童自身智商可能在解释这些关联方面发挥作用。
