Am J Psychiatry 1984; 141:236-240
Copyright © 1984 by American Psychiatric Association
Problem behaviors and peer interactions of young children with a manic- depressive parent
C Zahn-Waxler, DH McKnew, EM Cummings, YB Davenport and M Radke-Yarrow
By the age of 2 years, children with a manic-depressive parent were already
found to be experiencing substantial psychiatric problems. The authors
examined the ways in which these early problems then become embedded in
social relationships. Naturalistic observations and experimental
manipulations of the emotional environment were used to measure 2-year-old
children's regulation of emotion, aggression, and altruism during peer
interactions. Children with a manic-depressive parent had difficulty in
sharing with their friends and in handling hostility, showing maladaptive
patterns of aggression. The social and emotional problems of these children
were similar to the interpersonal problems of their manic-depressive
parents.
