A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE PREVALENCE OF EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL SYMPTOMS IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS BORN TO MOTHERS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA AND OTHER PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS

Abstract- Based on psychopathological principles, it is expected that any physical or mental disorder in parents, especially mothers, who are in close contact with their children, would have major impacts on children's behaviors and emotions. Considering the role of family atmosphere and training factors in the development of emotional and behavioral disorders in children, an important objective of this study is to evaluate and document the influence of schizophrenic and psychotic mothers in the development of emotional and behavioral disorders in their children. The study has been implemented through randomized sampling, marking the checklists of emotional and behavioral disorders designed by the authors, and computerized analyses, in three groups of children and adolescents: those born to mothers with schizophrenia, those born to control group. Regarding emotional and behavioral disorders, our final analysis eventually documents that there is a statistically significant difference (P <0.01) when we attempt to compare these three groups. Our study concludes that mental disorders of mothers, particularly psychotic disorders and especially schizophrenia, have major impacts on the development of emotional and behavioral disorders in their children