| Summary: | Abstract The aim of this dissertation was to investigate the association between family history of mental disorders, especially psychosis, and long-term social, occupational and clinical outcome in schizophrenia. In addition, the association of pregnancy, birth and early development related factors with occupational and clinical outcome in schizophrenia were analysed. Two meta-analyses and the Northern Finland Birth Cohorts 1966 and 1986 (NFBC1966 and NFBC1986) were used to gather the data. In the meta-analyses family history of psychosis was associated with poorer long-term clinical, occupational and global (i.e. combined occupational, social and clinical) outcome in schizophrenia. NFBC1966 is an unselected, population-based sample of 12,058 live-born children and includes 161 individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorder. NFBC1986 is also an unselected, population-based cohort and consists of 9,432 live-born children and includes 189 individuals with psychosis. In the NFBC1966 study family history of any mental disorder was associated with more severe positive and emotional symptoms, but was not associated with other clinical symptoms or social, occupational or global outcome in schizophrenia. The family history of psychosis was not associated with outcomes. Regarding pregnancy, birth and early development related factors, it was found that young maternal age was associated with higher probability of being hospitalised with schizophrenia. In the NFBC1986 study a family history of any mental disorder was associated with higher number of days spent at hospital and higher number of hospitalisations, but it was not associated with occupational outcome or disability pension in psychotic disorders. A family history of psychosis was not associated with outcomes. This study suggests that family history of psychosis has a small association with clinical, occupational and global outcome in schizophrenia. There is less research regarding the association between family history of any mental disorder and outcome in ...
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