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Published on: November 21, 2013

Obstetrical complications in children at high risk for bipolar disorder

Manpreet K Singh1, Melissa P DelBello, Cesar Soutullo

  • 1Center for Bipolar Disorders Research, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0559, United States. Manpreet.Singh@cchmc.org

Journal of Psychiatric Research
|May 16, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Children with a parent diagnosed with bipolar disorder (BPD) face higher risks of obstetrical complications, especially prenatal ones. However, these complications did not directly lead to psychiatric disorders in this early study.

Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Obstetrics

Background:

  • Familial risk for bipolar disorder (BPD) is a significant concern in child psychiatry.
  • Understanding prenatal and obstetrical risk factors is crucial for early intervention.
  • Previous research suggests a potential link between perinatal factors and psychiatric disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate obstetrical complications as a risk factor for developing bipolar disorder (BPD).
  • To compare obstetrical complication rates in children with a parent with BPD versus children of healthy parents.
  • To determine if obstetrical complications correlate with psychiatric disorder development in at-risk children.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the Washington University in St. Louis Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (WASH-U KSADS) for child psychiatric assessments.
  • Administered the Rochester Research Obstetrical Scale (ROS) to parents to evaluate obstetrical risk.
  • Compared a sample of children with at least one parent with BPD (N=36) to a control group of children with healthy parents (N=27).

Main Results:

  • Children with a familial risk for BPD exhibited significantly higher total (p=0.02) and prenatal (p=0.006) obstetrical complication scores.
  • No significant association was found between obstetrical complications and the development of affective, anxiety, or disruptive behavioral disorders in the at-risk group.
  • These findings suggest a heightened risk for obstetrical issues in offspring of parents with BPD.

Conclusions:

  • Children with a parent diagnosed with BPD may face an elevated risk of obstetrical complications, particularly during the prenatal period.
  • At this early follow-up stage, factors beyond obstetrical complications appear to influence psychiatric disorder rates in this at-risk population.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors in BPD development.
Abstract

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