Mood Disorders In Offspring Research Articles

Atypical development of resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia in children at high risk for depression

Compromised respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA, i.e., low cardiac vagal control) frequently characterizes clinically depressed adults and also has been detected in infants of depressed mothers; however, its existence has not been established in older at-risk offspring. We investigated developmental patterns of RSA in a sample of 163 5- to 14-year-old children, who were either at high risk for depression (due to having a parent with a childhood-onset mood disorder) or low-risk for depression. We hypothesized that high-risk children have lower resting RSA than do low-risk children, which could reflect atypical developmental trajectories. Children's RSA was assessed during resting baseline periods on multiple occasions, typically 1-year apart. Linear growth modeling indicated a group by age interaction. Low-risk children (but not the high-risk children) exhibited a significantly increasing trajectory in resting RSA with age. Mood disorders in offspring did not account for the Group X Age interaction effect. Our study provides new evidence that children at high risk for depression have an atypical developmental trajectory of RSA across late childhood.

Risk for Suicidal Ideation Among the Offspring of Bipolar Parents: Results From the Bipolar Offspring Study (BIOS)

The objective of the study was to examine rates and identify risk factors for suicidal ideation among offspring of parents with bipolar disorder. Subjects included 388 offspring of parents with bipolar disorder and 250 offspring of matched community controls enrolled in the Pittsburgh Bipolar Offspring Study (BIOS). Offspring of bipolar probands displayed greater rates of lifetime suicidal ideation than offspring of controls (33% versus 20%). Factors most strongly associated with lifetime suicidal ideation in offspring of bipolar parents included offspring mood disorder, hostility, recent sexual abuse, and family conflict. Offspring of parents with bipolar disorder are at elevated risk for suicidal ideation as compared with offspring of controls. Suicide risk assessment in this population should attend to specific risk factors identified.

The stability of parental bonding reports: A 20-year follow-up

BackgroundAddressing the long-term reliability of retrospectively assessed parenting is underscored by the well-documented association between parenting behaviors, and mood disorders in offspring. The rarity of longitudinal research with follow-up periods exceeding 10years creates a need for additional studies. Methods134 offspring of depressed and non-depressed parents were assessed on Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) scores, lifetime major depression (MDD), and current depressive symptoms at four waves across 20years. PBI rank order and mean level stability, individual trajectories, and the impact of baseline age, gender, and lifetime MDD on stability, were obtained using multiple regression and linear mixed model analyses. ResultsBesides paternal overprotection which showed a 1.6-point average decrease, the PBI domains remained non-significant for mean level change over 20years. However, there was a significant individual variation for all PBI domains. Lifetime MDD and age did not significantly impact retest correlations; older age at baseline was associated with higher average paternal overprotection. Sons had lower retest correlations than daughters, but did not differ from daughters on mean level stability. Current depressive symptoms were associated with PBI scores, but did not impact the effect of lifetime MDD, gender or age on mean level stability and individual trajectories. LimitationsSmall sample sizes and measuring lifetime MDD as present or absent may have restricted our ability to detect effects of MDD history on PBI stability. ConclusionThe PBI is a robust measure of an important environmental risk for depressive disorders, and can be variably sensitive to sample characteristics, the passage of time and mood fluctuations. However, this sensitivity does not appear to significantly bias the long-term stability of this instrument.

Sex differences in the familial transmission of mood disorders

Background Mood disorders exhibit familial transmission due to both environmental and genetic risk factors. Mood disorders are more common in women, yet the role of gender in the familial transmission of mood disorders is unclear. This study examines rates of mood disorder transmission to offspring based on the sex of affected parent, sex of offspring and role of clinical factors, such as childhood abuse history, comorbid psychiatric disorders, and traits of aggression and impulsivity. Methods Risk of transmission of mood disorder to offspring from females and males was compared in a sample of 272 probands with a major mood disorder using generalized estimating equations (GEE). Demographic and clinical characteristics of all male and female probands were compared. Characteristics that differed in probands were entered into the model to obtain an unbiased test of gender differences in transmission rate. Multivariate GEE models, one for male probands and one for female probands, were used to test for risk factors in transmission of mood disorder. Results Familial transmission rate of mood disorders from female probands was almost double that of males. There was no difference in transmission to male or female offspring. For male probands, offspring mood disorder was independently associated with earlier age of proband mood disorder onset, greater number of proband years ill, and proband history of childhood abuse. For female probands, offspring mood disorder was associated with higher aggression scores in probands. Limitations We did not directly interview offspring and also had limited data on psychopathology in co-parents. This is a cross-sectional study and cannot account for emergence of illness in offspring in the future. Conclusions The two-fold higher rate of maternal transmission of mood disorder may reflect differences in regulation of maternal and paternal transmission of mood disorder. Future studies need to determine the relative contribution of genetic and non-genetic factors and identify the factors responsible for higher rates of transmission of mood disorders by females with a mood disorder.

Familial Transmission of Mood Disorders: Convergence and Divergence With Transmission of Suicidal Behavior

Both mood disorder and suicidal behavior are familial. In this study, the authors examine the factors associated with the familial transmission of these two related conditions to learn which are shared or unique risk factors for familial transmission. The 285 offspring of 141 probands with mood disorder were studied. Proband and offspring characteristics associated with offspring mood disorder were examined by univariate statistics, logistic and Cox regression, and path analysis. Parental history of sexual abuse was associated with an increased risk of offspring mood disorder. The relationship between parent sexual abuse and offspring mood disorder was mediated by offspring impulsive aggression, sexual abuse, and anxiety disorder. In offspring, higher levels of impulsive aggression were associated with earlier age at onset of mood disorder. Offspring suicide attempt was mainly related to offspring mood disorder, with additional contributions from offspring sexual abuse and impulsive aggression. The pathways associated with the familial transmission of mood disorder and of suicide attempt are similar but not identical. Prevention of early-onset mood disorder by targeting high- risk families may help to prevent the transmission of suicidal behavior. Because these data are cross-sectional, these results must be confirmed by prospective follow-up.

Increased Prevalence of Alcoholism in Relatives of Depressed and Bipolar Children

Previous publications from the "Nortriptyline in Childhood Depression: Follow-up Study" reported increased prevalence rates of mood disorders and alcoholism in the relatives of prepubertal depressed subjects. This article presents data on the association versus independent transmission of alcohol and mood disorders in the families of these subjects. The follow-up study included 6- to 12-year-olds with major depressive disorder (MDD) and matched normal controls. After 2 to 5 years of follow-up, bipolarity developed in 31.7% of the MDD subjects. Family history data for the first- and second-degree relatives and first cousins of the 76 nonadopted MDD subjects and the 31 controls were obtained from the subjects' mothers, using the Family History-Research Diagnostic Criteria. The prevalence of alcoholism among the relatives of the MDD and bipolar probands was two to three times that reported for control relatives and twice that reported for the relatives of adult MDD and bipolar probands. Mood disorders and maternal alcoholism were independently transmitted while paternal alcoholism increased the risk for mood disorder in offspring. The potential psychosocial and genetic effects of familial alcoholism need to be considered for the clinical management and investigation of childhood-onset mood disorders.