Behavioral neurodevelopment abnormalities and schizophrenic disorder: a retrospective evaluation with the Childhood...

This study is a retrospective report of childhood and adolescence neurobehavioral assessment in patients with schizophrenia and their healthy siblings using the Childhood Behavior Checklist (CBCL). The CBCL ratings were obtained from retrospective maternal reports, for five age periods (birth to 3years, 4-7years, 8-11years, 12-15years and 16-18years) in a sample of 32 patients with schizophrenia. The patients showed a variety of childhood and adolescence behavioral problems when compared with their siblings, and the various types of problems differed in the developmental course of the disease. Cluster analysis was conducted on the childhood premorbid behavior ratings for the schizophrenic patients, and two subgroups emerged: a cluster with an initially low level of behavioral abnormalities (B.A. ) that increased over the years, and a cluster with a high level of B.A. that remain relatively stable until early adulthood. The latter group showed more severe current negative symptoms.