26.2 Temperamental Traits and the Development of Bipolar Disorder in High-Risk Offspring: Test of Burden of Illness Effects

Specific temperamental traits have been linked to the development of bipolar disorder (BD) in offspring of parents with BD (high risk), suggesting that these traits could be useful for early intervention. However, most studies are confounded by prior major mood episodes. Our aims were to determine the following: 1) if the stability of temperament scores change over time depending on whether they were measured before or after an index major mood episode; and 2) if the prior number of MDD or (hypo)manic (BD) episodes changes the stability of subsequent temperament scores.