The relationship between cognitive functions and behavioral deviance in children at risk for psychopathology.

Previous studies have generally found that children at risk for psychopathology (i.e. children characterized by risk factors such as parental psychopathology and maltreatment) display more deviant behavior and cognitive dysfunctions than children not at risk. The present study examined the relationship between behavioral deviance and cognition in children characterized by a variety of risk factors (parental schizophrenia, parental psychiatric disorders other than schizophrenia, parental maltreatment). The results indicated that the effects of parental schizophrenia could be distinguished from the more generalized effects of maltreatment and that cognitive deficits were associated with schizoid behavior in children at risk for schizophrenia. These findings suggest that cognitive ability may serve as a moderator of vulnerability to maladjustment in children at risk for schizophrenia.