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The Role of Endogenous and Exogenous Risk Factors in the Genesis of Schizophrenia

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The Effects of Parental Dysfunction on Children

Abstract

The children of parents with psychiatric disorders have been the focus of numerous clinical studies over the past three decades (Walker, 1991). The primary reason for interest in this population is that research with families has consistently shown these children to be at ‘high-risk’ for developing psychopathology. Behavioral genetic research indicates that this is due, at least in part, to the transmission of genetic vulnerabilities from parents to their offspring (Gottesman, 1991). Given this assumption, investigators have conducted prospective longitudinal studies of the offspring of mentally ill parents with the aim of identifying ‘markers’ of constitutional risk for pychopathology.

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Walker, E.F. (2002). The Role of Endogenous and Exogenous Risk Factors in the Genesis of Schizophrenia. In: McMahon, R.J., Peters, R.D. (eds) The Effects of Parental Dysfunction on Children. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1739-9_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1739-9_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-6812-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-1739-9

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