Abstract
Objective: To determine current and lifetime psychopathology and assess quality of life (QoL) in offspring of a parent with bipolar disorder (BD). Methods: We investigated 43 offspring of bipolar parents (high-risk offspring [HRO]) (mean age 12.53.1; range 6.7-17.9 years) and 43 comparison offspring matched for sex, age, and IQ of healthy parents.
Lifetime and current presence of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed. (DSM-5) diagnoses were assessed using Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL). We administered parent and self-report versions of General Behavior Inventory and the Screen for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED).
QoL was evaluated using the self-report questionnaire KIDSCREN-52. Results: Thirty-seven HRO (86%) and 18 controls (42%) met DSM-5 criteria for at least one lifetime psychiatric diagnosis (adjusted OR=7.20; 95% CI 2.27-22.81).
Compared to controls, HRO had higher lifetime frequency of any mood disorder (33% vs. 2%, p<0.001), anxiety disorder (60% vs. 14%, p<0.001), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (26% vs. 5%, p=0.01). After adjustment for confounders, only mood (OR=13.05; 95% CI 1.41-120.60) and anxiety (OR=9.69; 95% CI 2.75-34.31) disorders remained significantly more frequent in the HRO group.
In comparison with controls, HRO scored lower in the following domains: QoL, social support and relationship with peers (p=0.003; Cohen's d=0.91), parent relationships and home life (p=0.008; d=0.67), as well as self-perception (p=0.04; d=0.55). Conclusions: In agreement with other studies, we found a higher rate of lifetime anxiety and mood disorders in children and adolescents at confirmed familial risk for BD.