Abstract: Objective To investigate specific executive deficits in the real-life environment among adolescent relatives of schizophrenia patients and to explore the effect of specific victimization types on the deficits. Methods The study included 104 non-affected adolescent descendants and siblings of schizophrenia patients in the relative group and 193 healthy adolescents in the healthy control group, all aged between 9 and 20 years. All participants completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Self Report Version (BRIEF-SR) and Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire, Child Self-report Version (JVQ). Results The multivariate analysis revealed that the relative group reported more difficulties on the shift and task completion scale than controls (P<0.05). Significant main effects were detected for conventional crime on the plan/organize and task completion scale (P<0.05) and for child maltreatment on the inhibit, emotional control, monitor, working memory and organization of material scale (P<0.05). The univariate analysis revealed that in the relative group, adolescents who had experienced conventional crime reported higher scores on the plan/organize and task completion scale compared with those without conventional crime (P<0.05); adolescents with child maltreatment had higher scores on the Inhibit, emotional control, and organization of material scale than those without child maltreatment (P<0.05). For the healthy controls, adolescents with child maltreatment showed poorer scores on the Working Memory scale than those without maltreatment (P<0.05). Conclusion Our resultssuggest certain impaired aspects of executive functioning in real-life situations among adolescent relatives of schizophrenia patients. Conventional crime and child maltreatment may be associated with executive dysfunction in the adolescent relatives.

Key words: Schizophrenia, First-degree relatives, Executive function, Victimization, Adolescents