title: Advancing paternal age at birth is associated with poorer social functioning earlier and later in life of schizophrenia patients in a founder population.
abstract: Consistent associations have been found between advanced paternal age and an increased risk of psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, in their offspring. This increase appears to be linear as paternal age increases. The present study investigates the relationship between early deviant behaviour in the first 10 years of life of patients as well as longer term functional outcome and paternal age in sporadic Afrikaner founder population cases of schizophrenia. This might improve our understanding of Paternal Age-Related Schizophrenia (PARS). Follow-up psychiatric diagnoses were confirmed by the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies (DIGS). An early deviant childhood behaviour semi-structured questionnaire and the Specific Level of Functioning Assessment (SLOF) were completed. From the logistic regression models fitted, a significant negative relationship was found between paternal age at birth and social dysfunction as early deviant behaviour. Additionally, regression analysis revealed a significant negative relationship between paternal age at birth and the SLOF for interpersonal relationships later in life. Early social dysfunction may represent a phenotypic trait for PARS. Further research is required to understand the relationship between early social dysfunction and deficits in interpersonal relationships later in life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Pretoria, Weskoppies Hospital, Private Bag X113, Pretoria 0001, South Africa.
authors.forename: Rudolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liebenberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Pretoria, Weskoppies Hospital, Private Bag X113, Pretoria 0001, South Africa. Electronic address: brigeyvh@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: van Heerden
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ehlers
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Pretoria, Weskoppies Hospital, Private Bag X113, Pretoria 0001, South Africa.
authors.forename: Anna M E
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Du Plessis
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Pretoria, Weskoppies Hospital, Private Bag X113, Pretoria 0001, South Africa.
authors.forename: J Louw
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Roos
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010331:Paternal Age; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics; D012917:Social Adjustment; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Early deviance; Functional outcome; Interpersonal relationships; Learning disabilities; Paternal age-related schizophrenia (PARS); Social dysfunction