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7 - Childhood adversity and psychosis

from Part II - Social factors and the onset of psychosis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 December 2009

By
Helen Fisher  and
Tom Craig
Edited by
Craig Morgan ,
Kwame McKenzie  and
Paul Fearon
Helen Fisher
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, and Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre Box 63 Institute of Psychiatry De Crespigny Park London UK
Tom Craig
Affiliation:
Section of Social and Cultural Psychiatry Health Service and Population Research Department, Box 33, Institute of Psychiatry De Crespigny Park, London, UK
Craig Morgan
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London
Kwame McKenzie
Affiliation:
University College London
Paul Fearon
Affiliation:
Trinity College, Dublin
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Summary

Introduction

Back in the 1950s and 1960s, it was popular to insinuate that the development of mental health problems, particularly schizophrenia, was a result of being brought up in a disturbed family (see Chapter 8). Unfortunately, this led to a family-blaming culture based on little evidence, which, not surprisingly, was met with anger from relatives' support groups. Subsequently, few psychosis researchers have explored potential risk factors relating to the family. However, in the past few years there has been a resurgence of research into how the family environment and adverse childhood experiences may be linked to later development of psychosis (see also Chapter 8). This area of research appears to have come almost full circle and careful consideration of recent research is essential if simplistic and potentially harmful conclusions are to be avoided. In this chapter, we focus on childhood adversity, and begin with a review of the most commonly researched aspects of early adversity and trauma.

Summary of existing literature

Separation from parents or loss of at least one parent

Recent investigations employing reasonably robust methodologies have found a twofold to threefold increased risk of adult psychosis in those who experienced long-term separation from, or death of, at least one parent during childhood, independent of a variety of confounders, including a parental history of mental illness (e.g., Morgan et al., 2007).

Keywords

biological levelchildhood adversitychildhood traumapsychological levelpsychosissocial mechanisms
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Society and Psychosis , pp. 95 - 111
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2008

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  • Childhood adversity and psychosis
    • By Helen Fisher, Department of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, and Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre Box 63 Institute of Psychiatry De Crespigny Park London UK, Tom Craig, Section of Social and Cultural Psychiatry Health Service and Population Research Department, Box 33, Institute of Psychiatry De Crespigny Park, London, UK
  • Edited by Craig Morgan, Kwame McKenzie, University College London, Paul Fearon
  • Book: Society and Psychosis
  • Online publication: 07 December 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511544064.007
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  • Childhood adversity and psychosis
    • By Helen Fisher, Department of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, and Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre Box 63 Institute of Psychiatry De Crespigny Park London UK, Tom Craig, Section of Social and Cultural Psychiatry Health Service and Population Research Department, Box 33, Institute of Psychiatry De Crespigny Park, London, UK
  • Edited by Craig Morgan, Kwame McKenzie, University College London, Paul Fearon
  • Book: Society and Psychosis
  • Online publication: 07 December 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511544064.007
Available formats
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  • Childhood adversity and psychosis
    • By Helen Fisher, Department of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, and Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre Box 63 Institute of Psychiatry De Crespigny Park London UK, Tom Craig, Section of Social and Cultural Psychiatry Health Service and Population Research Department, Box 33, Institute of Psychiatry De Crespigny Park, London, UK
  • Edited by Craig Morgan, Kwame McKenzie, University College London, Paul Fearon
  • Book: Society and Psychosis
  • Online publication: 07 December 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511544064.007
Available formats
×