title: Dimensional psychopathology in preschool offspring of parents with bipolar disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study is to compare the dimensional psychopathology, as ascertained by parental report, in preschool offspring of parents with bipolar disorder (BP) and offspring of community control parents.
  
  
  METHODS
  122 preschool offspring (mean age 3.3 years) of 84 parents with BP, with 102 offspring of 65 control parents (36 healthy, 29 with non-BP psychopathology), were evaluated using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), the CBCL-Dysregulation Profile (CBCL-DP), the Early Childhood Inventory (ECI-4), and the Emotionality Activity Sociability (EAS) survey. Teachers' Report Forms (TRF) were available for 51 preschoolers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After adjusting for confounders, offspring of parents with BP showed higher scores in the CBCL total, externalizing, somatic, sleep, aggressive, and CBCL-DP subscales; the ECI-4 sleep problem scale; and the EAS total and emotionality scale. The proportion of offspring with CBCL T-scores ≥ 2 SD above the norm was significantly higher on most CBCL subscales and the CBCL-DP in offspring of parents with BP compared to offspring of controls even after excluding offspring with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and/or oppositional defiant disorder. Compared to offspring of parents with BP-I, offspring of parents with BP-II showed significantly higher scores in total and most CBCL subscales, the ECI-4 anxiety and sleep scales and the EAS emotionality scale. For both groups of parents, there were significant correlations between CBCL and TRF scores (r = .32-.38, p-values ≤.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Independent of categorical axis-I psychopathology and other demographic or clinical factors in both biological parents, preschool offspring of parents with BP have significantly greater aggression, mood dysregulation, sleep disturbances, and somatic complaints compared to offspring of control parents. Interventions to target these symptoms are warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Hagai
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Maoz
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Goldstein
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Axelson
authors.forename: Benjamin I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Goldstein
authors.forename: Jieyu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Mary Beth
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Hickey
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Monk
authors.forename: Dara
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sakolsky
authors.forename: Rasim S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Diler
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brent
authors.forename: Satish
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iyengar
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Kupfer
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Birmaher
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019958:Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male
keywords: BP; dimensional psychopathology; offspring