Children of parapartum mentally ill mothers: a follow-up study

A 2-year cohort of children (n = 75) of hospitalised first-episode parapartum mentally ill mothers in the mid-1970s in Stockholm were studied. The children were followed up during the school-age period from 1982 through 1992, and they were studied with regard to health development, academic achievement and family situation. Comparisons were made with matched controls. Data were collected from hospital case notes, the local tax authorities and school reports. No significant differences were found between the index children and the controls regarding the number of inpatient care episodes or days of inpatient care during the follow-up period. Nor was any significant difference found between the index and the control children regarding academic achievement as measured by the mean of all marks. Four index children and 2 controls were studying in schools for the mentally retarded. Seventy-four percent of the children of the patients were living with their mother, compared to 95% of the controls (p < 0.001). In conclusion, the children of mentally ill mothers in this longitudinal study did as well as the controls. The reason might be the social support provided by society (when needed) for these high-risk families in Sweden.