Behavioral characteristics in high-risk children of mothers with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder during laboratory-based observations (2015)

Undergraduate: Hannah Robinson

Faculty Advisor: Barbara Goldman
Department: Psychology & Neuroscience

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Objective: The primary aim of this study was to examine behavioral differences between child offspring of parents with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and offspring of parents that are free from psychiatric illness. Method: A behavioral measure based on the Children¿¿¿s Behavior Questionnaire for children aged three to seven (Rothbart et al., 2001; Putnam & Rothbart, 2006) was used to assess behavior in offspring of parents with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and offspring of parents that are free from psychiatric illness during laboratory-based observations lasting approximately one hour. Results: Two sample t-tests will be used to compare mean behavioral scores and mean behavioral dimension sub-scale scores between the two offspring populations. Limitations: Behavioral data was collected from laboratory-based observations and no self- or parent-report data was collected. Due to the limited sample size, schizophrenia offspring and bipolar offspring were not examined separately. Conclusions: If there are differences between the two offspring populations, assessment of behavior may be useful in characterizing child offspring of parents with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Longitudinal studies that examine self- and parent-report data, as well as observational data, to determine if certain behaviors inform treatment response and prognosis in this population are needed.