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Observed psychopathology in offspring of parents with major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 May 2019

A. Sandstrom Open the ORCID record for A. Sandstrom [Opens in a new window] ,
L. MacKenzie ,
A. Pizzo ,
A. Fine ,
S. Rempel ,
C. Howard ,
M. Stephens ,
V. C. Patterson ,
V. Drobinin  and
H. Van Gestel
...Show all authors
A. Sandstrom
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, NS, Canada
L. MacKenzie
Affiliation:
Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, NS, Canada Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
A. Pizzo
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, NS, Canada
A. Fine
Affiliation:
Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, NS, Canada
S. Rempel
Affiliation:
Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, NS, Canada
C. Howard
Affiliation:
Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, NS, Canada
M. Stephens
Affiliation:
Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, NS, Canada
V. C. Patterson
Affiliation:
Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, NS, Canada Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
V. Drobinin
Affiliation:
Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, NS, Canada Department of Medical Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
H. Van Gestel
Affiliation:
Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, NS, Canada
E. Howes Vallis
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, NS, Canada
A. Zwicker
Affiliation:
Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, NS, Canada Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
L. Propper
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada IWK Health Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada
S. Abidi
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada IWK Health Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada
A. Bagnell
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada IWK Health Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada
D. Lovas
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada IWK Health Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada
J. Cumby
Affiliation:
Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, NS, Canada
M. Alda
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, NS, Canada
R. Uher
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, NS, Canada
B. Pavlova*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, NS, Canada
*
Author for correspondence: B. Pavlova, E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Background

Children of parents with mood and psychotic disorders are at elevated risk for a range of behavioral and emotional problems. However, as the usual reporter of psychopathology in children is the parent, reports of early problems in children of parents with mood and psychotic disorders may be biased by the parents' own experience of mental illness and their mental state.

Methods

Independent observers rated psychopathology using the Test Observation Form in 378 children and youth between the ages of 4 and 24 (mean = 11.01, s.d. = 4.40) who had a parent with major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or no history of mood and psychotic disorders.

Results

Observed attentional problems were elevated in offspring of parents with major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia (effect sizes ranging between 0.31 and 0.56). Oppositional behavior and language/thought problems showed variable degrees of elevation (effect sizes 0.17 to 0.57) across the three high-risk groups, with the greatest difficulties observed in offspring of parents with bipolar disorder. Observed anxiety was increased in offspring of parents with major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder (effect sizes 0.19 and 0.25 respectively) but not in offspring of parents with schizophrenia.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that externalizing problems and cognitive and language difficulties may represent a general manifestation of familial risk for mood and psychotic disorders, while anxiety may be a specific marker of liability for mood disorders. Observer assessment may improve early identification of risk and selection of youth who may benefit from targeted prevention.

Keywords

Anxietybipolar disorderdepressionhigh-risk offspringobservational measurerisk factorsschizophreniatest observation form
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 50 , Issue 6 , April 2020 , pp. 1050 - 1056
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019

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