Inflammatory markers, somatic complaints, use of medication and health care in 11-year-old children at familial high risk of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder compared with population-based controls. The Danish High Risk and Resilience Study - via 11.

PURPOSE: Patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are at increased risk of somatic illnesses and have more somatic complaints compared with the general population. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are highly heritable. Already during childhood, children at familial high risk of schizophrenia (FHR-SZ) or bipolar disorder (FHR-BD) are at increased risk of psychiatric disorders and cognitive and social impairments. Knowledge about physical conditions is sparse. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Through blood tests (n = 293), interviews, and questionnaires, we assessed inflammatory markers, somatic complaints, medication - and health care use in 11-year-old children at FHR-SZ, FHR-BD, and population-based controls (PBC). RESULTS: Children at FHR-SZ had higher concentrations of leucocytes (mean 6.41, SD 0.73) compared with PBC (mean 5.78, SD 0.27, p = 0.005) and of neutrophilocytes (FHR-SZ: mean 3.11, SD 1.32, PBC: mean 2.70, SD 0.96, p = 0.024). Compared with PBC (26.6%), more children at FHR-SZ (40.5%, p = 0.007) reported somatic complaints. So did caregivers and teachers to children at FHR-BD. Somatic complaints, higher concentrations of leucocytes, and neutrophilocytes were associated with lower levels of physical activity. Children at FHR-BD with psychiatric disorders reported more somatic complaints compared with those without. CONCLUSION: Children at FHR-SZ had higher concentrations of leucocytes and neutrophilocytes than PBC. Children at FHR-SZ or FHR-BP displayed more somatic complaints than controls. Our study highlights rarely explored disadvantage of being born to parents with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. To enhance understanding of how physical conditions in childhood may interplay with later transition to mental disorders in children at FHR-SZ and FHR-BD, further research is needed.

Exploring the relationship between attributional style measured in virtual reality and bullying among children at familial high risk of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder compared with controls.

BACKGROUND: Children of parents with severe mental illness report bullying more often compared with controls. We hypothesized that deviations in attributional styles may explain the increased prevalence of bullying experiences. We aimed to assess real-time responses to standardized ambiguous social situations, bullying experiences by children, their primary caregivers, and teachers, and to investigate potential associations between attributional styles and bullying. METHOD: The study included 465 children aged 11-12, born to parents with schizophrenia, N =179, bipolar disorder, N = 105, or population-based controls, N = 181. Attributional style was evaluated using virtual reality environments depicting ambiguous social everyday situations. We created a tailored assessment since no suitable assessments were found. Bullying was assessed through self-reports and reports from primary caregivers and teachers. RESULTS: We observed no group differences in the attributional style of the children. Reports from children, primary caregivers, and teachers revealed that compared with controls, children born to parents with schizophrenia were more likely to perceive bullying victimization, with high consistency among reports. No associations were found between bullying reports and attributional style. CONCLUSIONS: Children of parents with schizophrenia consistently experienced more bullying, as reported by the children themselves, primary caregivers, and teachers. No differences in attributional style were found, indicating that attributional style did not explain the increased prevalence of bullying reports. While it cannot be ruled out that our virtual environments were insufficient to trigger a sense of social exclusion, the results suggest that the observed differences in reported bullying are genuine and not a result of the child's attributional style.

Physical Activity and Sleep in 11-Year Old Children With a Familial High Risk of Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder. The Danish High Risk and Resilience Study-VIA 11.

Objective: People with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are at increased risk of having comorbid somatic illness. This is partly due to lack of physical activity, which may originate from childhood. Sleep disturbances are associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. We aimed to assess physical activity and sleep in children at familial high risk of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and population-based controls. Methods: This study is part of The Danish High Risk and Resilience Study-VIA 11. Children aged 11 born to parents with schizophrenia (FHR-SZ) (N = 133), bipolar disorder (FHR-BP) (N = 84), or controls (C) (N = 150) were assessed by accelerometry for an average of 6.9 days. Results: High-intensity physical activity was significantly lower in children at FHR-SZ and FHR-BP compared to controls, (mean hours per day for FHR-SZ: 0.29, SD 0.19, for FHR-BP: 0.27, SD 0.24, and for controls 0.38, SD 0.22, P = <.001). Sleep did not differ between the groups. Conclusion: Children at FHR-SZ or FHR-BP had less physical activity compared to controls. Our study highlights a research area that reveals a hitherto unexplored disadvantage of being born to parents with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Further research is needed to enhance better understanding of causal pathways and consequences of reduced physical activity in children with FHR-SZ and FHR-BP.