Schizophrenia: A Life-Course Developmental Perspective covers research findings and ideas concerning the entire life course of schizophrenia. The book discusses research on life-span development in schizophrenia; the genetic and perinatal factors in the etiology of schizophrenia; as well as the neurobehavioral development of infants at risk for schizophrenia. The text also describes the early social and affective development in schizophrenic offspring; the clinical presentation, onset, early developmental patterns, course, and treatment of childhood-onset schizophrenia; and the prediction of psychiatric disorders in late adolescence. The cognitive and linguistic functions of adolescent children at risk for schizophrenia; longitudinal studies of premorbid development of adult schizophrenics; and the ontogenetic implications of sex differences in schizophrenia are also considered. The book further tackles emotion and attachment in families of schizophrenics; late-onset schizophrenia; and the development of liability to schizophrenia. The text then encompasses the developmental trajectories in schizophrenia. Psychiatrists, psychologists, and people working on the research about schizophrenia will find the book invaluable.

Table of Contents:
Contributors Preface 1 Research on Life-Span Development in Schizophrenia Impediments to the Study of the Life Course of Schizophrenia Methodological Approaches to Longitudinal Research on Schizophrenia Summary References Part I Perinatal Factors and Infancy 2 Genetic and Perinatal Factors in the Etiology of Schizophrenia Introduction The Copenhagen High-Risk Study A Research Framework: Gene-Environment Interaction An Empirical Test Conclusions References 3 Neurobehavioral Development of Infants at Risk for Schizophrenia: A Review Overview of Existing Studies Neonatal Behavior Postneonatal Behavior Relation of Other Biological and Social Factors to Infant Behavior Prediction from Infancy to Later Behavior Summary References 4 Early Social and Affective Development in Schizophrenic Offspring Evidence for Social and Emotional Competence: Social Interaction Evidence for Social and Emotional Competence: Clinical and Diagnostic Assessments Quality of Parenting by Schizophrenics and Its Role in Children's Social and Affective Development Conclusions References Part II Childhood and Adolescence 5 Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia: Developmental Perspectives on Schizophrenic Disorders Clinical Presentation Onset, Precursor States, and Early Symptom Development Clinical Heterogeneity Course Treatment The Search for Etiological Pathways Conclusions References 6 The Prediction of Psychiatric Disorders in Late Adolescence The New York High-Risk Project Longitudinal Analyses of Attention Early Attentional Deviance and Adolescent Adjustment Summary References 7 Cognitive and Linguistic Functions of Adolescent Children at Risk for Schizophrenia Study of Language and Cognition in the High-Risk Paradigm Specific Content Areas Investigated in Adolescents Consistency of Deviance across Measures Early Attention Deficits as a Predictor of Later Maladjustment Profile of Performance during the Adolescent Risk Period Conclusions References 8 Longitudinal Studies of Premorbid Development of Adult Schizophrenics Dated Conceptions of the Longitudinal Course of Schizophrenic Disorders Contemporary Studies of Developmental Precursors, Prognostic Signs, and Outcome Conclusions The Most Promising Leads for Further Research on Premorbid Development References Part III Adulthood: The Onset and Course of Clinical Symptoms 9 Ontogenetic Implications of Sex Differences in Schizophrenia Premorbid Development Onset and First Hospital Admission Age Clinical Picture at Onset-First Admission Response to Treatment Ontogenetic Processes Future Directions References 10 Emotion and Attachment in Families of Schizophrenics: The Struggle for Recovery Expressed Emotion Family-Based Intervention Studies Yale Psychiatric Institute Family Study Concluding Remarks References 11 Late-Onset Schizophrenia Historical Perspectives Epidemiology Clinical Picture Etiology of Late-Onset Schizophrenia Differential Diagnosis Course and Prognosis Treatment Conclusions References 12 Aging and Schizophrenia: Plasticity, Reversibility, and/or Compensation Introduction Biological Aging Long-Term Outcome of Schizophrenia New Concepts in Adult Development Late-Onset Schizophrenia Discussion References Part IV Developmental Conceptualizations of Schizophrenia 13 The Development of Liability to Schizophrenia: Early and Late Developmental Models Early versus Late Developmental Models of Schizophrenic Liability Early Childhood Abnormalities among Preschizophrenic Subjects Inferred Early Abnormalities among Preschizophrenic Patients Early Environmental Insults among Preschizphrenic Patients An Alternative Hypothesis: A Late Developmental Genetic Model Conclusions References 14 Developmental Trajectories in Schizophrenia: Elucidating the Divergent Pathways Sources of Variability among Patients Neurodevelopmental Models of Schizophrenia An Archival-Observational Approach to Research on the Development of Schizophrenia Conclusions References Index List of Previous Volumes