OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of parental disorder in the life of adult offspring by evaluating education, current employment and marital status of a sample of offspring of patients with schizophrenia and comparing findings with population rates. METHODS: A sample of 489 patients with DSM-IV diagnoses of schizophrenia was identified in the public outpatient mental health services of the city of Cuiabá, Brazil. Of these patients, 294 had children, and a total of 828 offspring were identified. Data for 431 offspring aged 18 years or older were collected using a structured questionnaire answered by the patient-parent and a family member. RESULTS: The percentage of age-grade discrepancy for offspring aged 18 and 19 years was 59.2% (95%CI 45.4-73.0), not significantly different from the discrepancy rate for the same age group in the general population, which was 71.1%. Offspring of patients with schizophrenia had a significantly poorer employment situation than the general population (66.7% and 75.6%; 95%CI 62.1-71.3). Fewer male offspring were married than males in the general population (54.7% and 66.0%; 95%CI 48.2-61.2). CONCLUSION: Adult offspring of patients with schizophrenia had social adjustment problems that were markedly reflected in employment and marital status.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of parental disorder in the life of adult offspring by evaluating education, current employment and marital status of a sample of offspring of patients with schizophrenia and comparing findings with population rates. METHODS: A sample of 489 patients with DSM-IV diagnoses of schizophrenia was identified in the public outpatient mental health services of the city of Cuiabá, Brazil. Of these patients, 294 had children, and a total of 828 offspring were identified. Data for 431 offspring aged 18 years or older were collected using a structured questionnaire answered by the patient-parent and a family member. RESULTS: The percentage of age-grade discrepancy for offspring aged 18 and 19 years was 59.2% (95%CI 45.4-73.0), not significantly different from the discrepancy rate for the same age group in the general population, which was 71.1%. Offspring of patients with schizophrenia had a significantly poorer employment situation than the general population (66.7% and 75.6%; 95%CI 62.1-71.3). Fewer male offspring were married than males in the general population (54.7% and 66.0%; 95%CI 48.2-61.2). CONCLUSION: Adult offspring of patients with schizophrenia had social adjustment problems that were markedly reflected in employment and marital status.