Schizophrenia And Bipolar Disorder: Children Of Parents With Mental Disorders Have Doubled The Risk

A study has shown that children of people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder have a higher risk of developing mental health problems, such as mood disorders, attention deficit and mild psychotic symptoms. This risk varies according to the type of illness the parents have. In addition, having better living conditions and parents who are able to maintain good social relationships helps to protect these children. Monitoring and supporting families is essential to reduce these risks.

Psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, profoundly affect the lives of individuals and families. One of the major concerns of those living with these conditions is the impact they can have on their children.

A recent study conducted by researchers in Spain followed children and adolescents whose parents have schizophrenia or bipolar disorder to better understand how these parental illnesses can influence the mental health of the new generation. The work, published in the journal European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, provided important information that helps to identify risks and think about ways to protect them.

The study followed 238 children and adolescents for four years, aged between 6 and 17 at the start of the study. These included children of people diagnosed with schizophrenia, children of people with bipolar disorder, and a comparison group made up of children of parents without these illnesses.

The researchers assessed not only whether these children developed any psychiatric disorder over time, but also other factors, such as the family's socioeconomic status, the age of the parents when the children were born, and milder signs, called subclinical signs, that could indicate a higher risk of future illnesses.

The results confirmed what other studies had already suggested: children of people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder have a higher risk of developing some type of mental health problem. But the study also revealed that the risk patterns differ depending on the parents' disorder.

For example, children of people with schizophrenia were more likely to develop attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), behavioral problems (so-called disruptive disorders) and mild symptoms related to psychosis.

Children of people with bipolar disorder had more cases of mood disorders, such as depression and mania, in addition to ADHD and mild symptoms related to bipolar disorder.

Another important point is that the environment in which these children grow up makes a difference. Families with better financial conditions and parents with good psychosocial functioning, that is, who even with the disease are able to maintain social relationships and daily activities adequately, had children with a lower risk of developing psychiatric disorders.

This reinforces the importance of offering support not only to children, but also to parents, helping them to better deal with their own difficulties and to create a more protective environment for their children.

Finally, the authors of the study warn that it is necessary to continue monitoring these children for longer to better understand whether or not the first symptoms identified can evolve into full-blown illnesses.

In addition, research with a larger number of participants can help confirm these findings and better guide preventive interventions. The study shows how essential it is to look at mental health in an integrated way, caring for families as a whole.

READ MORE:

Effects of parental characteristics on the risk of psychopathology in offspring: a 4-year follow-up study. 

E. De la Serna, D. Moreno, G. Sugranyes, P. Camprodon-Boadas, D. Ilzarbe, A. Bigorra, B. Mora-Maltas, I. Baeza, I. Flamarique, S. Parrilla, C. M. Díaz-Caneja, C. Moreno, R. Borras, C. Torrent, C. Garcia-Rizo, and J. Castro-Fornieles 

Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry (2025). 

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-025-02719-4

Abstract:

Offspring of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (SZoff) or bipolar disorder (BDoff) have double the risk of developing a psychiatric disorder. Here we report the effects of some parental characteristics on the offspring risk of psychopathology at 4-year follow-up. At baseline, 90 BDoff, 41 SZoff and 107 Community Control offspring (CCoff) aged 6 to 17 were included. At 4-year follow-up, 71% of the sample was assessed. Parents’ and offspring’s psychiatric diagnoses as well as socio-economic status (SES) and global functioning were assessed in addition to parents’ ages at childbirth and offspring subclinical psychotic/bipolar symptoms. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis were used to assess between-group differences in the cumulative incidence of psychiatric disorders and subclinical psychotic/bipolar symptoms and the association of some offspring and parents’ variables with risk of psychopathology and subclinical psychotic/bipolar symptoms. SZoff and BDoff had a higher risk of psychopathology than CCoff at 4-year follow-up. SZoff showed a higher risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), disruptive disorders and subclinical psychotic symptoms, whereas BDoff displayed a heightened risk for mood disorders, ADHD and subclinical bipolar symptoms when compared to CCoff. Higher parental psychosocial functioning and SES were associated with a lower prevalence of psychopathology. Both SZoff and BDoff samples have a higher risk for psychopathology but the pattern of this psychopathology seems to be group specific. Longer follow-up studies and larger sample sizes are needed to assess the capacity of psychopathological disorder and subclinical psychotic or bipolar symptoms to predict progression to fully-fledged disorders.