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.
