PRE-AND PARANATAL FACTORS IN MENTAL DISORDERS OF CHILDREN

Abstract

The birth certificate records of 450 children hospitalized with psychiatric disorders were compared with those of a group of matched controls. Study of 370 cases and controls where birthweights were recorded revelaed a significantly higher incidence of prematurity among total cases than among controls. White cases did not differ significantly from Negro cases. Within the Negro groups, there was no difference between cases and controls. In the control group there was a significant relationship between ethnic character and prematurity, with more Negro prematures. With respect to previous fetal loss, there were no differences between cases and controls, nor were there any differences in the non-operative complications of pregnancy, although under-reporting in both categories give these data limited value. Operative complications of pregnancy were significantly higher among whites, whether cases or controls, probably associated with the more frequent use of forceps in deliveries of white mothers. There seemed to be a tendency for a higher incidence of prematurity among children diagnosed as schizophrenic than among a group of matched controls. Statistical analysis also suggested that prematures had a higher proportion of cases with distinct brain damage than did the term cases. The limitations of retrospective studies are discussed and the recommendation made that the suggestive findings resulting from these studies should be confirmed by prospective investigations.