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Family relationships

How are family relationships relevant to schizophrenia?

Familial expressed emotion involving hostility, emotional over-involvement and critical comments has been associated with increased psychotic relapse in people with schizophrenia, so these traits may contribute to the development of psychotic symptoms in vulnerable individuals. Negative parental affective style involving guilt induction, over-intrusiveness and personal criticism, and a lack of clarity in communication may also contribute to increased risk of schizophrenia.

What is the evidence for family relationships?
Moderate quality evidence suggests a large effect of high communication deviance (lack of clarity) in parents of people with schizophrenia. Moderate to low quality evidence suggests there may also be poor relationships with parents, family instability, negative affective style, and more expressed emotion.

April 2022

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Last updated at: 1:09 pm, 10th April 2022
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Fact Sheet Technical Commentary
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