Gender differences in aggressiveness in children and adolescents at risk for schizophrenia.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to investigate whether differences in aggression-related behavioral problems occur between boys and girls at high risk for schizophrenia living in the city of São Paulo, Brazil.


METHODS
Using the Child Behavior Checklist, we compared the prevalence of behavioral problems between genders for the offspring (6-18 years) of mothers with diagnosis of schizophrenia and a comparison group of children born to women with no severe mental disorders recruited at the gynecology outpatient clinic of the same hospital. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders, Patient Edition was applied for the evaluation of diagnostic status of mothers.


RESULTS
Male children of women with schizophrenia had a lower prevalence of aggressive behavior compared to females (4% vs. 36%; p = 0.005), whereas no gender differences regarding aggression were detected in the comparison group (24% vs. 32%; p = 0.53). Logistic regression analyses showed that male gender and being a child of women with schizophrenia interacted so as to favor lower prevalence of aggressive behavior (p = 0.03).


CONCLUSIONS
These findings reinforce the notion that behavioral gender differences related to schizophrenia are already detectable in childhood.
Gutt
Elisa Kijner
EK
Department of Psychiatry, Medical School, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. elisagutt@gmail.com
Petresco
Sandra
S
Krelling
Renata
R
Busatto
Geraldo F
GF
Bordin
Isabel A S
IA
Lotufo-Neto
Francisco
F
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D001938:Brazil; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012559:Schizophrenia; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors