Child Competence and Psychiatric Risk

This study examines a) the effect of sex of index patient parent on the significant and positive relationship between severity of parent psychopathology and Fisher's child competence measures reported in a previous study of this series; and b) the relationship of general and specific dimensions of parent symptomatology to Fisher's child competence measures. Severity of psychopathology and type of symptomatology data were collected on parents of 101 intact families in which at least one parent had been previously hospitalized for a functional psychiatric disorder. Ratings on each psychopathological variable were made for two time frames, most recent hospitalization and time of study, which was a mean duration of 4.36 years later. Behavioral competence data were collected on one son in each family on the basis of peer and teacher ratings of school behaviors. Results indicated that the highly significant relationship between rating of severity of parent psychopathology at time of study and child competence measures was mainly a function of the index patient mother's psychopathology. Only the affective dimensions of symptomatology were consistently and significantly correlated with child competence measures. Lability of affect for index patient mother at most recent hospitalization was positively related to child competence. Depression, withdrawal, and incongruous affect rated for index patient mother at time of study were related to lower child competence. Severity or type of psychopathology of index father was not consistently related to child competence measures.