The Children of Psychiatric Patients: Clinical Findings

Abstract

Findings are presented on 42 children of school age, the offspring of 26 adult psychiatric patients. Psychiatric disorder was found in 19 (45 per cent) of the children, compared with 12 (26 per cent) of 47 children from a control group of families. Families with disturbed children differed from the remaining families in the following ways: presence of frank marital discord, the diagnosis of personality disorder in the parents, the inability of the father to tolerate angry situations, and the presence of siblings of under 9 years of age. Six months later 9 of the 19 children had improved considerably. In almost every family this was associated with improvement in the condition of the parents. It is suggested that the psychiatric disorder of these children is reactive to the presence of emotional turmoil in the families.

Parental depression and offspring disorders: A developmental perspective.

“…Along similar diagnostic lines, personality disorders of depressed parents (presumed to be long-term characteristics) have been investigated in relation to offspring problems (Cooper, Leach, Storer, & Tonge, 1977;Radke-Yarrow et al, 1998;Rutter & Quinton, 1984). They carry added risk for the offspring.…”

From Boys Town to Oliver Twist: Separating fact from fiction in welfare reform and out-of-home placement of children and youth.

“…At a more specific, diagnostic level, parental disorders and marital discord have been implicated in the onset of psychopathology in offspring, including depression (Keller et al, 1986; Zahn-Waxler et al, 1987), schizophrenia (Aschaffenburg, 1981; Sameroff, Seifer, & Zax, 1982), anxiety disorders (Bernstein & Garfinkel, 1988), personality disorders (Cooper, Leach, Storer, & Tonge, 1977; Rutter & Quinton, 1984), marital distress (Aarkrog, 1985; Rutter & Quinton, 1984) and general “mental problems” (Aarkrog, 1985; Friedman, 1974; Garralda & Bailey, 1988; Rutter & Quinton, 1984; Stiffman, Jung, & Feldman, 1986).…”

“…Also of note is Doane's (1978) "armchair cluster analysis" of pathogenic family factors to include "a preponderance of parent-child coalitions, weak parental coalition, conflicting parental relationship, rigid pattern of interacting, low level of general harmony or closeness, low effectivity in task performance [and] deviant communication style" (summarized in Jansen, 1982, p. 158). At a more specific, diagnostic level, parental disorders and marital discord have been implicated in the onset of psychopathology in offspring, including depression (Keller et al, 1986;Zahn-Waxler et al, 1987), schizophrenia (Aschaffenburg, 1981;Sameroff, Seifer,&Zax, 1982), anxiety disorders (Bernstein & Garfinkel, 1988), personality disorders (Cooper, Leach, Storer, & Tonge, 1977;Rutter & Quinton, 1984), marital distress (Aarkrog, 1985;Rutter & Quinton, 1984) and general "mental problems" (Aarkrog, 1985;Friedman, 1974;Garralda & Bailey, 1988;Rutter & Quinton, 1984;Stiffman, Jung, & Feldman, 1986).…”

Emotional Abuse of Children: Detection and Prevention

“…1973). Inconsistent parents who alternately reject and possess their child (Cooper 1977) and those who expect their young child to comfort them, or to act as a substitute parent for them, i.e. role reversal (Kempe 1971) are two other examples of how parents may actively abuse their children.…”