Perceived parental rearing behaviour in patients with a schizophrenic disorder and its relationship to aspects of the course of the illness.

A total of 57 patients of both sexes (27 women and 30 men) with a definite diagnosis of a schizophrenic disorder completed the EMBU, a Swedish instrument designed to assess the experience of parental behaviour, that has been extensively used in cross-national studies. As in previous studies in different patient populations, three factors, 'rejection', 'emotional warmth' and 'overprotection', have been taken into account. The results obtained in the patient group were compared with those obtained in a control sample of healthy Swedish subjects. Schizophrenic patients rated both parents higher than controls on the factor 'rejection', and rated their mothers lower on the factor 'emotional warmth'. No correlation was found between EMBU score and age at the first hospitalization, or number of rehospitalizations within 1 year after discharge at the index episode. The present results cross-validate those obtained by other authors in other cultural settings, and suggest that negative experiences of parental rearing might be an important factor contributing to the development of 'vulnerability' in a person who will subsequently develop a schizophrenic disorder.