Citation

Gutt EK, Petresco S, Krelling R, Busatto GF, Bordin IAS, Lotufo-Neto F. Rev. Bras. Psiquiatr. 2008; 30(2): 110-117.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, Medical School, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. elisagutt@gmail.com

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Associacao Brasileira de Psiquiatria)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

18592106

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate whether differences in aggression-related behavioral problems occur between boys and girls at high risk for schizophrenia living in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. METHOD: Using the Child Behavior Checklist, we compared the prevalence of behavioral problems between genders for the offspring (6-18 years) of mothers with diagnosis of schizophrenia and a comparison group of children born to women with no severe mental disorders recruited at the gynecology outpatient clinic of the same hospital. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders, Patient Edition was applied for the evaluation of diagnostic status of mothers. RESULTS: Male children of women with schizophrenia had a lower prevalence of aggressive behavior compared to females (4% vs. 36%; p = 0.005), whereas no gender differences regarding aggression were detected in the comparison group (24% vs. 32%; p = 0.53). Logistic regression analyses showed that male gender and being a child of women with schizophrenia interacted so as to favor lower prevalence of aggressive behavior (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: These findings reinforce the notion that behavioral gender differences related to schizophrenia are already detectable in childhood.

Language: en