title: Antecedents of schizophrenia and affective illness. Obstetric complications.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This exploratory study seeks to generate new hypotheses about the relationship between obstetric complications and schizophrenia.
  
  
  METHODS
  The British Perinatal Mortality Survey represents 98% of all births during one week in March 1958 in Great Britain. Present State Examination (PSE), Catego diagnoses of narrowly defined schizophrenia (n = 49), broadly defined schizophrenia (n = 79), affective psychosis (n = 44) and neurosis (n = 93) were derived from case notes for all cohort members. The remainder of the cohort, surviving the perinatal period, acted as controls (n = 16 812). Variables in the British Perinatal Mortality Survey were grouped into five categories: the physique/lifestyle of the mother (including demographic characteristics), her obstetric history, the current pregnancy, the delivery and the condition of the baby.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 7/17 significant differences in maternal physique/lifestyle and obstetric history between the births of schizophrenics and controls, compared to 4/40 comparisons of somatic variables relating to pregnancy, birth and the condition of the baby. This compares with 4/17 and 7/40 for affective psychotics and a total of 4/57 differences for all categories of variables when neurotics were contrasted with controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The purported increased risk of obstetric complications in schizophrenics may result from the physique/lifestyle of their mothers.
authors.affiliation: Psychology Division, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Herts.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sacker
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Done
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Crow
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Golding
mesh_terms: D000341:Affective Disorders, Psychotic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D019965:Neurocognitive Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D009497:Neurotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D006113:United Kingdom