Psychotic experiences in seven-year-old children with familial high risk of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder in: The Danish High Risk and Resilience Study – VIA 7; A population-based cohort study

Ditte Ellersgaard, Maja Gregersen, Katrine Soeborg Spang, Camilla Christiani, Birgitte Klee Burton, Nicoline Hemager, Anne Søndergaard, Aja Greve, Ditte Gantriis, Jens Richardt Møllegaard Jepsen, Ole Mors, Kerstin Jessica Plessen, Anne Amalie Elgaard Thorup, Merete Nordentoft*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We aimed to examine the prevalence of psychotic experiences (PEs) in children with familial high risk of schizophrenia (FHR-SZ) or bipolar disorder (FHR-BP) and, in exploratory analyses, to examine the possible associations between PEs and mental disorders as well as level of functioning. A cohort of seven-year-old children with FHR-SZ (N = 199), FHR-BP (N = 118) and controls (N = 196) was recruited through Danish nationwide registers. Lifetime PEs were assessed through interviews using the psychosis section of the ‘Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children - Present and Lifetime Version’ (K-SADS-PL). Lifetime DSM-IV diagnoses were ascertained through K-SADS-PL and the level of functioning of the children through ‘Children's Global Assessment Scale’. Both children with FHR-SZ (OR = 2.9, 95% CI = 1.4–6.2, p = 0.005) and FHR-BP (OR = 2.9, 95% CI = 1.3–6.7, p = 0.011) had an increased risk of having experienced “severe” PEs compared with controls. In the overall cohort PEs were associated with any lifetime mental disorder, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, anxiety disorders and a lower level of functioning. The findings of a higher proportion of high risk children reporting PEs could represent an early manifestation of later more severe psychopathology or simply an unspecific transitory symptom. Future follow-up studies of this cohort will explore the predictive value of the occurrence of PEs at age seven.

Original languageEnglish
JournalSchizophrenia Research
Volume228
Pages (from-to)510-518
ISSN0920-9964
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020

Keywords

  • Bipolar disorder
  • Developmental psychopathology
  • Familial high risk
  • Offspring
  • Psychotic experiences
  • Schizophrenia

Cite this