Massive global analysis examines cognitive development in children of affected parents

A new study led by Murdoch University has found that children of parents with severe mental illness are more likely to experience cognitive difficulties.

Severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder affect over 247 million people worldwide.

“While there has been much focus on people living with severe mental illnesses, the developmental outcomes of their children have been given less attention,” said Dr Akilew Adane, a Senior Research Fellow and epidemiologist at Murdoch University’s Ngangk Yira Institute for Change.

“Early cognitive development in children is important because it can influence their educational, social, and health outcomes down the line,” he said.

In the largest systematic review of its kind, the research team analyzed data from 109 studies worldwide, involving more than 1.5 million people, to identify patterns in cognitive abilities among children of parents with severe mental illness

“We studied whether children of parents with severe mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression, differ in areas like general intelligence, memory, learning, attention, and school performance,” Dr Adane said.

At a population level, the study found that children of parents with severe mental illness tended to have more cognitive difficulties.

Overall, children of parents with severe mental illness tended to perform lower across several cognitive domains, particularly where a parent had schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.”

Dr. Akilew Adane, Senior Research Fellow, Murdoch University

“They experienced more challenges in areas such as general cognition, language, IQ memory, attention, and problem-solving skills. The differences were most pronounced for schizophrenia, where offspring showed substantially lower performance in areas such as general cognition, language and IQ. Smaller but meaningful differences were also observed among children of parents with bipolar disorder.”

Dr Adane emphasized that the study does not mean all children of parents with severe mental illness will experience cognitive and academic difficulties.

“We hope the findings encourage understanding and supportive responses rather than stigma towards affected individuals, particularly parents with mental health issues,” he said.

“The study highlights the importance of family-centerd mental health care and early developmental screening, which can help guide early intervention and educational support for affected families.”

The research was a collaboration between Murdoch University, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Addis Continental Institute of Public Health, The University of Western Australia, The Kids Research Institute Australia, Curtin University, and Dream Science and Technology College.