Parents With Bipolar Disorder: Relationship of Adaptation to Own Illness With Risk Perception and Coping With Perceived Risk to a Child
Condition: Bipolar Disorder
MeSH terms: Bipolar Disorder
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      Background:

        -  Bipolar disorder is a common mood disorder that affects 1% to 2% of the population.
           Individuals with bipolar disorder tend to have periods of mania that are characterized
           by extra energy, very poor judgment or unrealistic beliefs about their thoughts and
           abilities, and an inability to complete thoughts and tasks; as well as major depressive
           episodes. The range and frequency of symptoms in affected individuals can vary greatly.
           Most individuals have cyclical symptoms and spend more time in a normal mood state than
           in an overtly symptomatic state.

        -  Relatives of individuals with bipolar disorder have an increased risk for bipolar
           disorder and other mood disorders. Currently, risk assessment for recurrence of a mood
           disorder is based on family and medical histories; genetic testing has not proved
           particularly useful to date for assessing risks of a mood disorder.

        -  Despite its prevalence, there is limited research on coping with bipolar illness. No
           published studies have examined adaptation to living with bipolar disorder or risk for
           bipolar disorder. More specifically, though a positive family history is the most
           important known risk factor for bipolar disorder, there are no published studies about
           response to the threat of future illness onset in children, risk modification efforts
           undertaken by affected parents, or coping with the risk for illness in children.

      Objectives:

        -  To examine parents appraisals of the impact and cause of bipolar disorder, and the
           association with their perceived risk for bipolar illness in their child and how they
           cope with their perception of risk to their child.

        -  To assess whether parents adaptation to their own illness is associated with coping with
           perceived risk to their child.

        -  To describe parents coping strategies related to perceived risk in their children.

      Eligibility:

      - Men and women at least 18 years of age who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and
      who have at least one biological child (30 years of age or younger). Participants must be a
      primary caregiver for their children.

      Design:

        -  Participants in this study will take an online survey and answer questions about disease
           perceptions, coping strategies, and adapting to a diagnosis of bipolar disorder,
           addressing issues such as the following:

        -  Assessing the threat of bipolar disorder and coping with one s own illness.

        -  Optimism/pessimism of the individual coping with the illness.

        -  Perception of risk to a child, and coping with the perceived risk.

        -  Data from this study will not be shared with the participants/respondents.
    

Detailed description: 
      Though psychiatric disorders are extremely common and individuals with bipolar disorder have
      reproductive fitness approaching population rates, we know very little about the perceptions
      and coping of parents with bipolar disorder related to their at-risk children. Bipolar
      disorder is an etiologically-complex psychiatric disorder that is caused by a combination of
      genetic and environmental risk factors. This study proposes to assess perceptions of parents
      with bipolar disorder about their illness, response to illness threat, and concerns about
      their children s risks. We then propose to assess whether those appraisals are associated
      with the outcomes of coping strategies and adaption. As informed by the Transactional Theory
      of Stress and Coping, we propose to use a web-based survey to examine disease perceptions,
      coping strategies, and adaptation to the disorder. Respondents will be recruited through the
      National Alliance of the Mentally Ill (NAMI). The study is cross-sectional and the survey is
      composed of several valid and reliable scales to measure the constructs predicted to be
      involved in adaptation. Open-ended questions are included to help interpret results from the
      measures. Knowledge about parents perceptions and coping with their own illness and with risk
      to children may lead to studies of potential coping interventions. Ultimately, downstream
      studies may help to improve parents adaptation to their own condition and how successfully
      they are able to manage concerns about perceived risks to their child.
    

Time perspective: Other
Keywords: Bipolar Disorder; Adaptation; Parents; Risk; Coping; Survey