Early maternal stress and health behaviours and offspring expression of psychosis in adolescence.
OBJECTIVE
It has been suggested that influences operating early in life may affect the risk of postpubertal psychosis outcomes. This hypothesis was tested using a broad outcome of psychotic symptoms expressed in adolescence (prevalence: 15.6%).


METHODS
Findings are based on a longitudinal, population-based cohort study of 963 adolescents aged 15-20 years and their parents in the area of Munich, Germany. Trained psychologists assessed adolescents with the Munich-Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Independently, direct diagnostic interviews were conducted with the parents.


RESULTS
A range of medical complications of pregnancy and delivery, including lower birth weight, were not associated with the psychosis outcome. However, a number of maternal health behaviours and experiences did show associations, independent of confounders.


CONCLUSIONS
Not maternally reported medical complications of pregnancy and delivery, but maternal prenatal health behaviours predicted expression of psychosis along a continuum in adolescence. This effect may either be direct or constitute a proxy for later postnatal maternal behaviours associated with psychosis risk in the offspring.
Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, South Limburg Mental Health Research and Teaching Network, EURON, Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands.
J
J
Spauwen
L
L
Krabbendam
R
R
Lieb
H U
HU
Wittchen
J
J
van Os
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological