A woman with schizophrenia attends clinic very upset as she has heard that her condition is genetic and is worried about her son. According to the Gottesman data, what is the risk of her son developing schizophrenia?
Exam Question Dec 2014
Exam Question Dec 2014
Schizophrenia (Gottesman)
The data on the risk posed to relatives of people with schizophrenia comes from the work of Irving I. Gottesman.
The table below shows Gottesman's famous findings, these are the average risks complied from the family and twin studies conducted in European populations between 1920 and 1987.
You need to commit each one to memory.
| Relationship to person with schizophrenia | Risk of developing schizophrenia (lifetime risk) |
|---|---|
| General population | 1% |
| First cousin | 2% |
| Uncle/aunt | 2% |
| Nephew/niece | 4% |
| Grandchildren | 5% |
| Parents | 6% |
| Half sibling | 6% |
| Full Sibling | 9% |
| Children | 13% |
| Fraternal twins | 17% |
| Offspring of duel matings (both parents had schizophrenia) | 46% |
| Identical twins | 48% |
