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. 2008 Aug;103(1-3):143-50.
doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2008.02.016. Epub 2008 Apr 14.

Duration of early maternal separation and prediction of schizotypal symptoms from early adolescence to midlife

Deidre M Anglin  1 , Patricia R Cohen, Henian Chen
Affiliations

Duration of early maternal separation and prediction of schizotypal symptoms from early adolescence to midlife

Deidre M Anglin et al. Schizophr Res. 2008 Aug.

Abstract

Early childhood experiences influence the capacity for healthy social and emotional development. The present study uses longitudinal data to determine whether early maternal separation predicted the subsequent development of schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) symptoms assessed repeatedly from early adolescence over the following 20 years. Within this community sample (N=766), multilevel linear regression analyses revealed the duration of separation from mother in the first 2 years of life predicted elevated SPD symptoms. This relationship was specific to children with mother-reported early angry emotional behavior. These results provide support for the role of early childhood psychosocial risk factors in the development of subsequent schizophrenia spectrum symptoms in emotionally vulnerable children.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schizotypal personality disorder symptoms from age 10 to 35 for those with and without a) early separation of 8 weeks duration from mother and b) angry temperament
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