Combining an adoption design and a longitudinal risk-research strategy, this long-term study has 5 main hypotheses and aims intended to examine: (1) genetic liability for both narrowly defined schizophrenia and a broader range of psychoses; (2) genetic liability for schizophrenia-spectrum personality disorders; (3) test indices of vulnerability for schizophrenia; (4) joint effects of genotype, vulnerability, and adoptive family rearing; and (5) the contributions of preadoption environmental variables to later psychopathology. Earlier, a large Finnish national sample of adopting-away schizophrenic index/control mothers, index/control adoptees, and index/control adoptive families has been identified. Later, extensive clinical interviewing and psychological testing were undertaken with the adoptees and the adoptive families by interviewers blind as to index vs. control status. Preliminary findings strongly confirmed genetic effects for functional psychoses and DSM-III-R schizophrenia; environmental influences were also implicated in that severe disturbances were found primarily in adoptive families rated as having severe relational disturbances, but not in adoptees reared in 'healthy' adoptive families, even when biological adopting-away mothers were schizophrenic. Three main tasks are planned for the renewal grant period: (1) follow up study of (a) an estimated 256 adoptees further into the age of risk for schizophrenia, interviewed with structured personality schedules, and tested with Rorschach, MMPI, eyetracking, and attentional measures; (b) adoptive parents who were initially evaluated when the adoptees were young or living at home. (2) DSM-III-R diagnostic criteria will be systematically applied to all study subjects with both a Finnish and a cross-national diagnostic reliability exercise. (3) Extensive data analyses will evaluate each of the 5 major hypotheses, as well as possibly significant covariates. Comprehensive model building will be used to guide data analyses while assessing the main and joint effects of the principal variables under investigation.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
2R01MH039663-05A1
Application #
3377562
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (SRCM (C4))
Project Start
1985-09-01
Project End
1992-07-31
Budget Start
1990-08-01
Budget End
1991-07-31
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
1990
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Rochester
Department
Type
Schools of Dentistry
DUNS #
208469486
City
Rochester
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
14627
Siira, Virva; Wahlberg, Karl-Erik; Hakko, Helinä et al. (2013) Stability in MMPI among adoptees with high and low genetic risk for schizophrenia and with low Communication Deviance of their adoptive parents. Psychiatry Res 210:69-74
Kaakinen, S M; Sakkinen, A; Wahlberg, K-E et al. (2012) The stability of severe thought disorders and mature thinking. Eur Psychiatry 27:350-7
Siira, Virva; Wahlberg, Karl-Erik; Miettunen, Jouko et al. (2008) MMPI measures as signs of predisposition to mental disorder among adoptees at high risk for schizophrenia. Psychiatry Res 158:278-86
Siira, Virva; Wahlberg, Karl-Erik; Hakko, Helina et al. (2007) Interaction of genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia and Communication Deviance of adoptive parents associated with MMPI schizophrenia vulnerability indicators of adoptees. Nord J Psychiatry 61:418-26
Siira, Virva; Wahlberg, Karl-Erik; Miettunen, Jouko et al. (2006) Differentiation of adoptees at high versus low genetic risk for schizophrenia by adjusted MMPI indices. Eur Psychiatry 21:245-50
Wynne, Lyman C; Tienari, Pekka; Sorri, Anneli et al. (2006) II. Genotype-environment interaction in the schizophrenia spectrum: qualitative observations. Fam Process 45:435-47
Metsanen, M; Wahlberg, K-E; Hakko, H et al. (2006) Thought Disorder Index: a longitudinal study of severity levels and schizophrenia factors. J Psychiatr Res 40:258-66
Metsanen, M; Wahlberg, K-E; Saarento, O et al. (2005) Stability of Thought Disorder Index among high-risk and low-risk adoptees in the Finnish adoptive family study of schizophrenia. Eur Psychiatry 20:35-40
Tienari, Pekka; Wynne, Lyman C; Sorri, Anneli et al. (2004) Genotype-environment interaction in schizophrenia-spectrum disorder. Long-term follow-up study of Finnish adoptees. Br J Psychiatry 184:216-22
Siira, Virva; Wahlberg, Karl-Erik; Miettunen, Jouko et al. (2004) Psychometric deviance measured by MMPI in adoptees at high risk for schizophrenia and their adoptive controls. J Pers Assess 83:14-21

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