Family factors associated with schizophrenia and anorexia nervosa

This paper reports results of a longitudinal prospective study of 65 families first assessed when they presented at a psychological clinic with a disturbed adolescent offspring. Fifty-two of the index offspring were followed up five years later and assessed using Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC). Parental attributes of communication deviance and negative affective style were associated with offspring who later manifested disorders of the extended schizophrenia spectrum. Comparison of this sample with anorectic and non-anorectic inpatient groups revealed unique patterns in the families of anorectics, which were different from those identified in the preschizophrenic cases.