Positive and Negative Affect in Individuals at High and Low Risk for Bipolar Disorders

Introduction: Affective disorders are thought to be associated primarily with changes in positive affect (PA) and secondarily with changes in negative affect (NA). Based upon a dysregulation model, we assumed that people at risk for bipolar disorders show stronger emotional reactions - especially with reference to PA - in certain situations (e. g., facing success). Methods: Seventy-two male students completed the Hypomanic Personality Scale and were interviewed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID). The high-risk persons (n = 16) and controls (n = 56) completed an intelligence test and received success feedback. Afterward they played with dice. Affect was repeatedly assessed. Results: High-risk individuals generally reported more PA than controls but no significant interaction with time emerged. Different aspects of PA, however, showed different time courses. Conclusion: Despite methodological limitations, the results are in line with prior research showing that individuals at risk for bipolar disorder often report elevated levels of PA. It is unclear, however, if the available measures are the most appropriate because PA might be a multidimensional concept with its facets being differently affected by time and experimental or environmental changes