A recent study from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has uncovered new insights into how childhood attention span issues, combined with genetic factors, may influence the risk of developing serious psychiatric conditions like psychosis or schizophrenia later in life. However, the researchers emphasize that while these factors are linked to heightened risk, they do not guarantee future psychiatric illness. Lead researcher Dr Carrie Bearden, a professor at UCLA’s Semel Institute and Brain Research Institute, explains, “If a child has a genetic predisposition combined with attention issues early on, we don’t yet know the specific long-term outcomes or who might be resilient despite underlying risks.
” Bearden points out that the trajectory from childhood attention difficulties to psychotic symptoms in adolescence or early adulthood requires further research for a clearer understanding. The study, published in Nature Mental Health, analyzed cognitive, genetic, and brain data from over 10,000 children, following them for an average of six years from around age nine into their teen years. Researchers examined the links between attention span issues in childhood, genetic factors, and the likelihood of a child experiencing psychotic symptoms as they mature.
Psychosis is defined by the National Institute of Mental Health as a mental state marked by a significant loss of contact with reality, where an individual may struggle to differentiate between what is real .
