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Childhood cognitive function and adult psychopathology:associations with psychotic and non-psychotic symptoms in the generalpopulation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Jennifer H. Barnett*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Foundation National Health Service (NHS) Trust and Cambridge Cognition Ltd, Cambridge
Fiona McDougall
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge and Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Foundation NHS Trust
Man K. Xu
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge and Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Foundation NHS Trust
Tim J. Croudace
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge and Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Foundation NHS Trust
Marcus Richards
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council (MRC) National Survey of Health and Development, MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, London
Peter B. Jones
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Foundation NHS Trust, National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care for Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neurosciences Institute, Cambridge, UK
*
Dr J. Barnett, Department of Psychiatry, Addenbrooke'sHospital, Cambridge CB2 2QQ, UK. Email: jhb32@cam.ac.uk
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Abstract

Background

Lower cognitive ability in childhood is associated with increased risk of future schizophrenia, but its relationship with adult psychotic-like experiences and other psychopathology is less understood.

Aims

To investigate whether this childhood risk factor is shared with adult subclinical psychiatric phenotypes including psychotic-like experiences and general psychiatric morbidity.

Method

A population-based sample of participants born in Great Britain during 1 week in March 1946 was contacted up to 20 times between ages 6 weeks and 53 years. Cognition was assessed at ages 8, 11 and 15 years using a composite of age-appropriate verbal and non-verbal cognitive tests. At age 53 years, psychotic-like experiences were self-reported by 2918 participants using four items from the Psychosis Screening Questionnaire and general psychiatric morbidity was assessed using the scaled version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28).

Results

Psychotic-like experiences were reported by 22% of participants, and were highly comorbid with other psychopathology. Their presence in adults was significantly associated with poorer childhood cognitive test scores at ages 8 and 15 years, and marginally so at age 11 years. In contrast, high GHQ scores were not associated with poorer childhood cognition after adjustment for the presence of psychotic-like experiences.

Conclusions

Psychotic and non-psychotic psychopathologic symptoms are highly comorbid in the general population. Lower childhood cognitive ability is a risk factor for psychotic-like experiences in mid-life; these phenomena may be one end of a continuum of phenotypic expression driven by variation in early neurodevelopment.

Information

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2012
Figure 0

Fig. 1 Childhood cognitive scores among members of the 1946 British birth cohort, analysed by (a) psychotic-like experiences at age 53 years (Psychosis Screening Questionnaire, PSQ); (b) clinically relevant psychotic symptoms at age 36 years (Present State Examination, PSE); and (c) normal v. high general psychiatric morbidity at age 53 years (General Health Questionnaire, GHQ). Scores are mean values, bars indicate standard error.

Figure 1

Fig. 2 General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) score for each level of Psychosis Screening Questionnaire (PSQ) symptom endorsement at age 53 years (n = 2280). Scores are mean values, bars indicate 95% confidence intervals.

Figure 2

Fig. 3 Childhood cognitive scores according to presence v. absence of self-reported psychotic-like experience (PLE) and high v. normal General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) psychopathology score at age 53 years. Scores are mean values, bars indicate standard error.

Figure 3

Fig. 4 Childhood cognitive scores according to number of Psychosis Screening Questionnaire symptoms endorsed at age 53 years. Asterisks indicate significant post hoc differences in mean cognitive score (P<0.05) compared with individuals endorsing no symptoms.

Figure 4

Fig. 5 Childhood cognitive scores (mean values) according to individual psychotic-like experiences reported at age 53 years: (a) thought interference; (b) persecution; (c) strange experiences; (d) hallucinations. Asterisks indicate symptoms providing a significant independent contribution to the prediction of childhood cognitive score (P<0.05).

Figure 5

Fig. 6 Density plot of population distribution of childhood cognitive scores: (a) presence/absence of psychotic-like experiences (Psychosis Screening Questionnaire) at age 53 years; (b) clinically relevant psychotic symptoms (Present State Examination) at age 36 years.

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