Abstract
The intelligence, academic achievement, and classroom behavior of 158 children were assessed in a sample that is being followed longitudinally. The sample included children at high risk for mental disorder by virtue of having a parent with a psychiatric diagnosis of schizophrenia or affective disorder, children at moderate risk, and children at low risk, A series of path analyses indicated that in this sample (1) classroom behavior was more likely an affect than a cause of academic achievement, and (2) the influence of parental psychopathology on classroom behavior was mediated by a child's intelligence and academic achievement. We were unable to substantiate an unmediated causal link between parental psychopathology and children's academic achievement or classroom behavior.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Psychiatric Association (1980).Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed.). Washington, D.C.: Author.
Anthony, E. J. (1969). A clinical evaluation of children with psychotic parents.American Journal of Psychiatry, 126, 177–184.
Beck, A. T. (1967).Depression: Clinical, experimental, and theoretical aspects. New York: Harper & Row.
Bleuler, E. (1961).Dementia praecox or the group of schizophrenias. New York: International Universities Press. (Original work published 1911)
Brooks, C. R. (1977). WISC, WISC-R, S-B L & M, WRAT: Relationships and trends among children ages six to ten referred for psychological evaluation.Psychology in the Schools, 14, 30–33.
Cohler, B. J., Grunebaum, H. J., Weiss, J. L., Gamer, E., & Gallant, D. H. (1977). Disturbance of attention among schizophrenic, depressed and well mothers and their young children.Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 18, 115–135.
Conners, C. K., Himmelhock, J., Goyette, C. H., Ulrich, R., & Neil, J. F. (1979). Children of parents with affective illness.Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 18, 600–607.
Covin, T. M., & Lubimiv, A. J. (1976). Concurrent validity of the WRAT.Perceptual and Motor Skills, 43, 573–574.
Erlenmeyer-Kimling, L., Cornblatt, B., & Golden, R. R. (1983). Early indicators of vulnerability to schizophrenia in children at high genetic risk. In S. B. Guze, F. J. Earls, & J. E. Barrett (Eds.),Childhood psychopathology and development (pp. 247–264). New York: Raven Press.
Hale, R. L. (1978). The WISC-R as a predictor of WRAT performance.Psychology in the Schools, 15, 172–175.
Hale, R. L. (1981). Concurrent validity of the WISC-R factor scores.Journal of School Psychology, 19, 274–278.
Hartlage, L. C., & Boone, K. E. (1977). Achievement test correlates of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised.Perceptual and Motor Skills, 45, 1283–1286.
Hollingshead, A. (1968). Two factor index of social position. In J. Myers & Y. L. Bean (Eds.),A decade later: A follow-up of social class and mental illness. New York: Wiley.
Janes, C. L., Hesselbrock, V. M., Myers, D. G., & Penniman, J. H. (1979). Problem boys in young adulthood: Teachers' ratings and twelve-year follow-up.Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 8, 453–472.
Janes, C. L., Weeks, D. G., & Worland, J. (1983). School behavior in children of parents with mental disorder.Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 171, 234–240.
Jastak, J. F., & Jastak, S. R. (1965).The Wide Range Achievement Test manual. Wilmington, Delaware: Guidance Associates.
Jastak, J. F., & Jastak, S. R. (1978).The Wide Range Achievement Test manual of instructions (Rev. ed.). Wilmington, Delaware: Jastak Associates.
Joreskog, K. G., & Sorbom, D. (1978).LISREL IV user's guide. Chicago: National Educational Resources.
Kaufman, A. S. (1975). Factor analysis of the WISC-R at 11 age levels between 6 1/2 and 16 1/2 years.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 43, 135–147.
Kay, D. W. K. (1978). Assessment of familial risks in the functional psychoses and their application in genetic counselling.British Journal of Psychiatry, 133, 385–403.
Kitson, D. L., & Vance, H. B. (1982). Relationship of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised and the Wide Range Achievement Test for a selected sample of young children.Psychological Reports, 50, 981–982.
Kohlberg, L., Lacrosse, J., & Ricks, D. (1972). The predictability of adult mental health from childhood behavior. In B. Wolman (Ed.),Handbook of childhood psychopathology (pp. 1217–1284). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Lambert, N. M., Hartsough, C. S., & Zimmerman, I. L. (1976). The comparative predictive efficiency of intellectual and nonintellectual components of high school functioning.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 46, 109–122.
Lane, E., Albee, G., & Doll, L. (1970). The intelligence of children of schizophrenics.Developmental Psychology, 2, 315–317.
Lewine, R. R. J., Watt, N. F., Prentky, R. A., & Fryer, J. H. (1980). Childhood social competence in functionally disordered psychiatric patients and in normals.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 89, 132–138.
Mednick, S. A., & Schulsinger, F. (1969). Some premorbid characteristics related to breakdown in children of schizophrenic mothers. In D. Rosenthal & S. S. Kety (Eds.),The transmission of schizophrenia (pp. 267–291). Oxford: Pergamon Press.
Oakland, T. (1983). Joint use of adaptive behavior and IQ to predict achievement.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 51, 298–301.
Offord, D. R., & Cross, L. A. (1969). Behavioral antecedents of adult schizophrenia.Archives of General Psychiatry, 21, 267–283.
Orvaschel, H., Weissman, M. M., & Kidd, K. K. (1980). Children and depression: The children of depressed parents; the childhood of depressed patients; depression in children.Journal of Affective Disorders, 2, 1–16.
Parnas, J., Schulsinger, F., Schulsinger, H., Mednick, S., & Teasdale, T. (1982). Behavioral precursors of schizophrenia spectrum.Archives of General Psychiatry, 39, 658–664.
Reider, R. O., Broman, S. H., & Rosenthal, D. (1977). The offspring of schizophrenics: II. Perinatal factors and IQ.Archives of General Psychiatry, 34, 789–799.
Robins, L. N. (1972). Follow-up studies of behavior disorders in children. In H. C. Quay & J. S. Werry (Eds.),Psychopathological disorders of childhood (pp. 414–450). New York: Wiley.
Roff, J. D., Knight, R., & Wertheim, E. (1976). A factor-analytic study of childhood symptoms antecedent to schizophrenia.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 85, 543–549.
Rolf, J. E. (1972). The social and academic competence of children vulnerable to schizophrenia and other behavior pathologies.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 80, 225–243.
Rolf, J. E., & Garmezy, N. (1974). The school performance of children vulnerable to behavior pathology. In D. F. Ricks, A. Thomas, & M. Roff (Eds.),Life history research in psychopathology (pp. 87–107). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Rosenthal, D., Wender, P., Kety, S., Schulsinger, F., Welner, J., & Ostergaard, L. (1968). Schizophrenics' offspring reared in adoptive homes.Journal of Psychiatric Research, 6, 377–391.
Rutter, M. (1966).Children of sick parents. London: Oxford University Press.
Schwarting, F. G., & Schwarting, K. R. (1977). The relationship of the WISC-R and WRAT: A study based upon a selected population.Psychology in the Schools, 14, 431–433.
Shay, J. J. (1978).A methodological investigation of the reliability, validity, and factor structure of the Amherst Pupil Rating Form. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Stedman, J. M., Lawlis, G. F., Cortner, R. H., & Achterberg, G. (1978). Relationships between WISC-R factors, Wide Range Achievement Test scores, and visual-motor maturation in children referred for psychological evaluation.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 46, 869–872.
Watt, N. F. (1972). Longitudinal changes in the social behavior of children hospitalized for schizophrenia as adults.Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 155, 42–54.
Watt, N. F. (1974). Childhood and adolescent routes to schizophrenia. In D. Ricks, M. Roff, & A. Thomas (Eds.),Life history research in psychopathology (pp. 194–211). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Watt, N. F. (1976).Amherst modification of the Hollingshead-Redlich Two-Factor Scale. [Available from N. F. Watt, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Denver (Colorado Seminary), Denver, Colorado 80210].
Watt, N. F. (1978). Patterns of childhood social development in adult schizophrenics.Archives of General Psychiatry, 35, 160–165.
Watt, N. F., Grubb, T. W., & Erlenmeyer-Kimling, L. (1982). Social, emotional, and intellectual behavior at school among children at high risk for schizophrenia.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 50, 171–181.
Watt, N. F., & Lubensky, A. W. (1976). Childhood roots of schizophrenia.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 44, 363–375.
Wechsler, D. (1955).Manual for the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. New York: Pscyhological Corporation.
Wechsler, D. (1974).Manual for the Wechsler Intelligence Scale-Revised. New York: Psychological Corporation.
Weintraub, S., Neale, J. M., & Liebert, D. E. (1975). Teacher ratings of children vulnerable to psychopathology.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 45, 838–844.
Welner, Z., Welner, A., McCrary, D., & Leonard, M. A. (1977). Psychopathology in children of inpatients with depression: A controlled study.Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 164, 408–413.
Winters, K. C., Stone, A. A., Weintraub, S., & Neale, J. M. (1981). Cognitive and attentional deficits in children vulnerable to psychopathology.Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 9, 435–453.
Worland, J., & Hesselbrock, V. (1980). The intelligence of children and their parents with schizophrenia and manic-depressive illness.Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 21, 191–201.
Worland, J., Janes, C. L., Anthony, E. J., McGinnis, M., & Cass, L. (in press). St. Louis Risk Research Project: Comprehensive progress report of experimental studies. In N. F. Watt, E. J. Anthony, L. Wynne, & J. Rolf (Eds.),Children at risk for psychopathology. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Worland, J., Weeks, D., Weiner, S., & Schechtman, J. (1982). Longitudinal, prospective evaluations of intelligence in children at risk.Schizophrenia Bulletin, 8, 135–141.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This research was supported by National Institute of Mental Health Grant MH 24819 to Drs. E. J. Anthony and J. Worland. The authors appreciate the help of the entire Harry Edison Child Development Research Center staff, especially Janet Penniman, Steven Finn, Harriet Lander, Arlene Stiffman, Victor Hesselbrock, Darcy Gilpin, Janice Hensiek, and Crisanne Roberts. Special thanks are expressed to Myra Ferrel and Alice Woods for making arrangements with the schools. Our gratitude is expressed to the principals, counselors, and teachers of the St. Louis area schools and to the children and families who participated in this effort.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Worland, J., Weeks, D.G., Janes, C.L. et al. Intelligence, classroom behavior, and academic achievement in children at high and low risk for psychopathology: A structural equation analysis. J Abnorm Child Psychol 12, 437–454 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00910658
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00910658