Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 8, 2025

Handwriting Analysis Indicates Spontaneous Dyskinesias in Neuroleptic Naïve Adolescents at High Risk for Psychosis
05:52

Handwriting Analysis Indicates Spontaneous Dyskinesias in Neuroleptic Naïve Adolescents at High Risk for Psychosis

Published on: November 21, 2013

15.0K

Preventive Health Care Among Children of Women With Schizophrenia: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Clare L Taylor1,2, Hilary K Brown1,2,3,4,5, Natasha R Saunders2,4,6,7

  • 1Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
|March 1, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Children of mothers with schizophrenia had lower adherence to well-baby visits and vaccination schedules. Increased efforts are needed to ensure these children receive essential early preventive healthcare services.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology
  • Child Development

Background:

  • Maternal schizophrenia is associated with various challenges impacting child development and healthcare access.
  • Ensuring timely preventive healthcare, including well-baby visits and vaccinations, is crucial for child well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare adherence to well-baby visits and vaccination schedules up to 24 months in children born to mothers with and without schizophrenia.
  • To identify potential disparities in early preventive healthcare for children of mothers with schizophrenia.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized administrative health data from Ontario, Canada (2012-2016) for a cohort of children with (n=1,275) and without (n=520,831) maternal schizophrenia.
  • Assessed well-baby visit attendance (including an enhanced 18-month visit) and vaccine schedule adherence (dTaP-IPV-Hib, MMR) using Cox proportional hazard regression.
  • Adjusted for maternal sociodemographics, maternal health, and child health characteristics.

Main Results:

  • Children with maternal schizophrenia showed lower adherence to the enhanced 18-month well-baby visit (HR 0.91, 95% CI 0.84-0.98) and full vaccine schedule adherence (HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.87-1.04) after full adjustment.
  • Initial analyses indicated significant differences, but associations were dampened after adjusting for confounding factors.
  • Vaccine schedule adherence became nonsignificant after adjustment for maternal health characteristics.

Conclusions:

  • Children of mothers with schizophrenia may face barriers in accessing timely preventive healthcare services.
  • Targeted interventions and increased support are warranted to improve healthcare adherence for this vulnerable population.
  • Further research should explore specific barriers and effective strategies to enhance preventive care uptake.

More Related Videos

Implementation of a Real-Time Psychosis Risk Detection and Alerting System Based on Electronic Health Records using CogStack07:31

Implementation of a Real-Time Psychosis Risk Detection and Alerting System Based on Electronic Health Records using CogStack

Published on: May 15, 2020

7.2K
Measurement of Fronto-limbic Activity Using an Emotional Oddball Task in Children with Familial High Risk for Schizophrenia13:08

Measurement of Fronto-limbic Activity Using an Emotional Oddball Task in Children with Familial High Risk for Schizophrenia

Published on: December 2, 2015

9.0K

Related Concept Videos

Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia01:29

Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia, a complex psychiatric disorder, has been historically misunderstood. Early psychological theories attributed its origins to childhood trauma and unresponsive parenting. However, contemporary research largely rejects these notions, favoring the vulnerability-stress hypothesis. This model proposes that individuals with a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia may develop the disorder following exposure to significant environmental stressors. Notably, studies on high-risk...
158
Preventive Healthcare Services01:30

Preventive Healthcare Services

Preventive healthcare services keep people healthy via frequent check-ups, screening, and counseling. They primarily aid in disease prevention rather than treating an acute or chronic illness. Preventive treatment also keeps individuals productive and energetic, allowing them to work well into their retirement years. Examples of preventive care services include:
1.1K
Biological Causes of Schizophrenia01:29

Biological Causes of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia, a severe psychiatric disorder, arises from a complex interplay of biological factors, including genetic predisposition, structural brain abnormalities, neurotransmitter dysregulation, and developmental irregularities. These factors collectively contribute to the onset and progression of the disorder, which typically manifests in late adolescence or early adulthood.
Genetic Factors in Schizophrenia
The genetic basis of schizophrenia is strongly supported by family and twin...
111
Schizophrenia01:17

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia, a term introduced by Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler in 1911, describes a severe psychological disorder marked by profound disruptions in attention, thought processes, language, emotion, and interpersonal relationships. The core feature of schizophrenia is psychosis — a state characterized by a fundamental detachment from reality. This disconnection manifests through distorted logic, impaired perception, and atypical behavior, severely affecting the lives of those...
184
Psychosis: Pathophysiology of Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders01:27

Psychosis: Pathophysiology of Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders

Schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disorder whose origins are rooted in complex genetic components. Despite our burgeoning understanding, the pathophysiology of this disorder remains incompletely deciphered.
Researchers have identified genetic factors that increase susceptibility to schizophrenia, underscoring the intricate interplay between genetics and environment in disease development. At the core of schizophrenia's pathophysiology is excessive dopaminergic neurotransmission within...
812
Levels of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention01:26

Levels of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention

Health promotion allows a person to control the determinants of health, resulting in an improved health status. It enhances the quality of life and reduces premature deaths. Health promotion and illness prevention programs help people make beneficial choices to reduce the risk of disease and disabilities. There are three health promotion and illness prevention levels: primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention.
In primary prevention, actions taken before disease onset prevent the disease from...
12.9K