Prenatal And Neonatal Health

8 Pages 2018 Words

with greater statistical frequency in the births of persons with schizophrenia than controls (Kendell, Juszczak, and Cole, 1996). However, researchers are far from agreement on the exact nature, role, and expression of these complications in the affected population. Contradictory finding have been published on the relationships between obstetric difficulties and both family history and gender (Kunugi, Nanko, Takei, et al., 1996). Gestational insults, such as maternal exposure to influenza, have been implicated as precursors of schizophrenia (Mednick, Machon, Huttunen, et al., 1988) as well as reported to have insignificant effect (Crow and Done, 1992). Studies differ in the specific obstetric complications correlated with schizophrenia (Kendell et al., 1996), and researchers have not yet been able to establish a standard control for possible confounds such as race and socio-economic status (Verdoux, Geddes, Takei, et al., 1997). Perhaps most importantly though is the fact that the order and degree of linkage between gestational insults, genetics, and obstetric complications is yet to be determined.
This paper will focus on some of the possible prenatal and neonatal complications previously mentioned: family history (genetics), gestational insult, and obstetric difficulty, as well as their expression in neurodevelopmental deficit. This paper attempts to provide an overview of these areas and the issues being debated within each area. Attempts made to synthesize or merge the research will be described in each section. The conclusion will contain an assessment of these attempts and areas of suggested research.
Family History (Genetics)
Undoubtedly, family history is the most predictive variable of schizophrenic risk. Children of mothers with schizophrenia have a sixteen percent (16%) risk of developing chronic schizophrenia, compared to a one percent (1%) risk in the general population. Chances of schizophrenia or a related...