[Personality disorders diagnosed psychometrically in relatives of patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders]

By means of MMPI test 287 healthy relatives of 159 patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders were examined. Anomalies of personality were found in 44% of 287 relatives examined, that did not differ significantly from the same index (36% of 179) in the control group of healthy individuals without any family history of mental diseases. A cluster analysis has revealed that anomalies of personality in the patients relatives can be divided into the next types: schizoid (15%), sociopathic (7%), masculine, superrational (5%) and neurotic (16%). In most of schizoid relatives anomalies of personality were reflected by the 2-7-8 profile of personality that differed them from schizoid personalities in control group. On the basis of both the results obtained and literature data it was suggested that together with the schizoid relatives, the relatives with sociopathic features should be included in the schizophrenic risk group, while anomalies of personality of both neurotic and superrational types were the reactions to the stress in families of the patients with schizophrenia.