CHILDHOOD PRECURSORS OF AFFECTIVE VS SOCIAL DEFICITS IN ADOLESCENTS AT RISK FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA

Childhood attentional and neuromotor precursors of social competence a nd affective deficits in adolescents at risk for schizophrenia, adoles cents at risk for affective disorder, and matched comparison adolescen ts were examined. The subjects were offspring of parents with schizoph renia or affective disorder and of normal parents matched on age, sex, and socioeconomic status from the New York High-Risk Project (Sample B). On the basis of interviews conducted when the subjects were childr en and adolescents, social competence was rated from child reports and parent reports, affective deficits were assessed by affective flatten ing ratings, and smiling was assessed by counting broad smiles. Adoles cents at risk for schizophrenia had significantly greater social and a ffective deficits than adolescents at risk for affective disorder and comparison adolescents. In subjects at risk for schizophrenia, childho od neuromotor dysfunction predicted adolescent affective flattening, a nd childhood attentional dysfunction predicted adolescent social defic its. The results suggest that affective and social deficits in schizop hrenia have different childhood precursors.