The overall objective of this long-term study has been to use an adoption design to disentangle genetic and rearing-family contributions to schizophrenia and related disorders. Beginning in 1969, a large Finnish national sample of adopting-away schizophrenic index mothers and matched control mothers, index and control adoptees, and index and control adoptive families was identified. In 1977, extensive interviewing and psychological testing were begun with the adoptees and the adoptive families by interviewers who were blind as to the biological parent status. Since 1982, the available biological parents have also been interviewed and tested. Working within a framework of a diathesis-stressor/protective factor model for the development of schizophrenic illness, the study has focused upon two major hypotheses: (1) the genetic liability to schizophrenia is significantly transmitted not only as narrowly defined schizophrenia but also in the form of other nonaffective psychoses and schizophrenia-related personality disorders; (2) genotype (indexed by psychiatric diagnosis and test measures of biological parents) and environment (indexed by measures of adoptive family relationships and communication) jointly predict additively and multiplicatively to the development of schizophrenia-related disorders in adopted-away offspring. Preliminary findings have strongly confirmed a genetic effect for nonaffective psychoses, less strongly for DSM-III-R schizophrenia; followup of adoptees will be necessary to clarify the hypothesized effect for schizophrenia-related personality disorders. Environmental influences have been implicated in that severe adoptee illness was found primarily in adoptees reared in families rated with severe relational disturbances, but not in index or control adoptees reared in """"""""healthy"""""""" adoptive families. Genetic risk and independent clinical ratings of communication and affect in the adoptive parents jointly predicted to adoptee psychopathology. The main tasks planned for the renewal grant period are to complete the followup of adoptees at a median interval of 12 years after initial evaluation; to complete ratings and data reduction; and to conduct extensive data analyses, including attention to possible confounding variables, in order to evaluate the major hypotheses more definitively.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH039663-08
Application #
2244813
Study Section
Clinical Psychopathology Review Committee (CPP)
Project Start
1985-09-01
Project End
1996-01-31
Budget Start
1994-02-01
Budget End
1995-01-31
Support Year
8
Fiscal Year
1994
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Rochester
Department
Psychiatry
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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