The effects of parental mood on reports of their children's psychopathology

Hagai Maoz, Tina Goldstein, Benjamin I. Goldstein, David A. Axelson, Jieyu Fan, Mary Beth Hickey, Kelly Monk, Dara Sakolsky, Rasim S. Diler, David Brent, David J. Kupfer, Boris Birmaher*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

51 Scopus citations

Abstract

Conclusion Parental active mood symptomatology, especially during a manic/hypomanic episode, significantly affects their reports of their offspring's psychopathology. Trained interviewers reduce potential report bias. Clinicians and studies assessing children's psychopathology should take into account parental current mood state.

Method Sixty-five parents with current depression, 42 parents with current mania/hypomania, 181 parents with mood disorder in remission, and their offspring (n = 479, aged 6-18 years) completed assessments of offspring psychopathology as part of the Pittsburgh Bipolar Offspring Study (BIOS). We compared rates of offspring psychopathology assessed using the following: a clinician-administered semi-structured interview with parent and child using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children (K-SADS); parent-reported Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL); offspring self-reported Youth Self Reports (YSR) for those 11 years and older (n = 250); and teachers' reports when available (n = 209).

Objective: In this study, we aimed to assess whether current mood state (depressed or manic/hypomanic) among parents with a mood disorder would affect their reports of their offspring's psychopathology.

Results There were no between-group differences in rates of psychopathology yielded from the K-SADS, except for more depressive disorders in offspring of parents with current mania/hypomania compared to offspring of parents in remission. Conversely, using the CBCL and comparing with parents who were in remission, parents with current depression reported significantly more externalizing psychopathology in offspring, whereas parents with current mania/hypomania reported more externalizing and internalizing psychopathology in their offspring. On the YSR, offspring of parents with current mania/hypomania had more internalizing psychopathology compared to offspring of parents in remission. Teacher's reports showed no between-group differences in rates of any psychopathology.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1111-1122.e5
JournalJournal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Volume53
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Oct 2014
Externally publishedYes

Funding

FundersFunder number
Depressive and Bipolar Disorder Alternative Treatment Foundation
The Fine Foundation
National Institute of Mental HealthR01 MH060952
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Pittsburgh Foundation
National Center for Advancing Translational SciencesUL1TR000005
Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
Ontario Mental Health Foundation

    Keywords

    • bipolar disorder
    • depression
    • high risk
    • offspring

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