Abstract

Objectives: In this study behavioral and emotional problems of child and adolescent offsprings of bipolar parents were compared to that of their peers with normal parents. Method: In a descriptive cross-sectional study, 86 child and adolescent offsprings of patients with bipolar disorder (subject group) and 93 offsprings of healthy parents who had presented to  Iran Psychiatric Hospital and Hazrat-e-Rasool Hospital (control group) were selected using convenience sampling, and were evaluated using demographic form and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Comparison between mean scores of CBCL subscales was done using t-test and Multivariate Analysis of Variance. Results: Mean scores of the subject group in somatic complaints, anxious/ depressed, attention problems, aggression, internalizing, and general problems subscales were higher than that of the control group (p<0.05). Conclusion: Behavioral problems in the offsprings of parents with bipolar disorder are more prevalent than the individuals in the control group.