Do children of parents with mental illness have lower survival rate? A population-based study

The objective of this study was to investigate the incidence of mortality risk among children of parents with mental illness.

The study sample comprised all women giving birth in Taiwan between 1999 and 2001; the dataset was created by linking birth certificate, death certificate, and National Health Insurance research databases. The deaths of the subjects were classified into 5 groups: stillbirths, early neonatal death, late neonatal death, postneonatal death, and early childhood death. A Cox proportional hazard regression was then performed on a pooled 3-year population-based dataset to examine the relationship between parental mental status and survival rates for children younger than 3 years, with the crude and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) being calculated.

Around 2316 affected children were compared with a general population of 605 107. No stillbirths were observed among any children of parents with schizophrenia or affective disorder. Mothers with affective disorder are prone to higher risk of child death, with a crude HR of 4.86 (95% confidence interval, 3.06-7.73), and a reduced adjusted HR of 3.51 (95% confidence interval, 2.22-5.57). However, fathers with affective disorder played no role. Children born to schizophrenic women have a significant higher risk of child death with a crude HR of 2.47, whereas those born to schizophrenic fathers have a similarly high risk with a crude HR of 2.69.

A focus needs to be placed on the identification and treatment of parental schizophrenia and affective disorder through antenatal and postnatal intervention, so as to reduce mortality risks for children exposed to risk during their first 3 years of life.