People with schizophrenia are more likely to have a mother who smoked during pregnancy than people without the condition.

Context Tobacco is one of the most common substances used during pregnancy. Gestational smoking exposure is associated with obstetric abnormalities and low birthweight, which may lead to developmental disorders in childhood, as well as later risk factors for psychiatric disorders. In addition to genetic factors, environmental factors may play a role in the aetiology of psychotic disorders, and PTE has been considered as having a potential influence on developing psychotic disorders. In the current study, Stathopoulou and colleagues examined the association between prenatal smoking behaviours of mothers of schizophrenic and nonschizophrenic patients. The purpose of their study was to determine if there was an association between PTE and the risk of schizophrenia and the severity of schizophrenic symptomatology.