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A new study has revealed a connection between low childhood IQ and psychiatric disorders later in life in New Zealanders.
Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health say of 1037 children born in Dunedin in 1972 and 1973 those with lower IQs had an increased risk of developing psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, depression and generalised anxiety disorder. The children were members of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, which made its initial assessment of the children at age three, an online preview of new long-term study says.
The results are due to be published in the American Journal of Psychiatry in January.
The participants were also interviewed and tested on their overall health and behaviour at ages five, seven, nine, 11, 13, 15, 18, 21, 26 and 32.
"Lower childhood IQ predicted increased risk of schizophrenia, depression and generalised anxiety disorder," study lead author Karestan Koenen, assistant professor of society, human development, and health at Harvard University, said.
No association was found between lower childhood IQ and substance dependence disorders, simple phobia, panic disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The researcher said the mechanism through which lower childhood IQ might lead to increased risk of adult anxiety disorders was not known, but suggested the lower IQ in childhood might reveal a difference in brain health that makes an individual more vulnerable to certain mental disorders.
Another possible mechanism was stress - people with lower childhood IQ were less equipped to deal with complex challenges of modern daily life, which may make them more vulnerable to developing mental disorders.
- NZPA
