Prevalence and genetic architecture of Child Behavior Checklist-juvenile bipolar disorder.
BACKGROUND
No consensus has been reached yet on how best to characterize children with juvenile bipolar disorder (JBD). Several groups have shown that children on the attention problems (AP), aggressive behavior (AGG), and anxious-depressed (AD) syndromes of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) are likely to meet criteria for DSM-JBD. We aimed to use a large population-based twin sample to evaluate the prevalence and genetic architecture of the CBCL-JBD (deviant on AP, AGG, and AD) phenotype and compare these data to children who are deviant on just the CBCL-AP syndrome.


METHODS
Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to CBCL data from 5418, 3562, and 1971 Dutch twin pairs at ages 7, 10, and 12 years.


RESULTS
The CBCL-JBD phenotype occurs in approximately 1% of children at each age. Among the children who meet criteria for the CBCL-AP phenotype ( approximately 5%), between 13 and 20% also meet criteria for CBCL-JBD. The best SEM for CBCL-JBD includes additive genetic, shared and unique environmental factors. The best SEM for CBCL-AP includes dominant and additive genetic and unique environmental factors.


CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest that CBCL-JBD is common, and even more common among children who have severe attention problems. CBCL-JBD shows familial aggregation due to both genetic and shared environmental factors.
Hudziak
James J
JJ
Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, Burlington 05405, USA. James.Hudziak@uvm.edu
Althoff
Robert R
RR
Derks
Eske M
EM
Faraone
Stephen V
SV
Boomsma
Dorret I
DI
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010641:Phenotype; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires