Prediction of schizophrenic relapse using the parental bonding instrument

After admission, 57 schizophrenic patients completed two versions of the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) to assess perceived recent and earlier parenting attributes. The parents were also assessed using the Camberwell Family Interview to generate Expressed Emotion (EE) scores. The schizophrenic patients, compared to matched non-clinical controls, reported a significantly greater chance (50% vs 26%) of exposure to "affectionless control" from their father. Nine months later, the subjects were re-interviewed and their relapse status determined. The PBI measure assessing parenting over the first 16 years had greater utility than the recent parenting version of the PBI. When re-calibrated, only the father's scores on the early parenting PBI scale discriminated "relapsers" and "non-relapsers". A multivariate analysis suggested that pre-established illness criteria and other family factors were the clearest predictors, and that PBI-defined constructs (as for EE measures) failed to add significantly to the discriminant function. The extent to which EE and PBI scales might measure similar constructs was examined, with only weak links being suggested.