GoTriple - Affect intensity measure in bipolar disorders: A multidimensional approach

authors

Contributors

Génétique du diabète (DIAGEMM) ; Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM),

Molecular virology and immunology – Physiopathology and therapeutic of chronic viral hepatitis (Team 18) (Inserm U955) ; Institut Mondor de Recherche Biomédicale (IMRB) ; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-IFR10-Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne - Paris 12 (UPEC UP12)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-IFR10-Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne - Paris 12 (UPEC UP12),

Pôle de Psychiatrie [Hôpital Henri Mondor] ; Assistance publique - Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) (AP-HP)-Hôpital H. Mondor - A. Chenevier,

Hôpital Charles Perrens,

Fondation FondaMental [Créteil],

Laboratoire de psychologie:Santé et qualité de vie ; Université Bordeaux Segalen - Bordeaux 2,

Pôle Universitaire de Psychiatrie [CHU Bordeaux] (PUP) ; CHU Bordeaux [Bordeaux],

Service de Psychiatrie [CHRU Nancy] ; Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Nancy (CHRU Nancy),

Département Universitaire de Psychiatrie - [Hôpital Sainte Marguerite - APHM] (Hôpitaux Sud) ; Hôpital Sainte-Marguerite [CHU - APHM] (Hôpitaux Sud )-Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Marseille (APHM)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU),

Groupe Henri Mondor-Albert Chenevier ; Assistance publique - Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) (AP-HP)-Hôpital Henri Mondor-Hôpital Albert Chenevier,

Département de Psychiatrie et de Médecine Addictologique [AP-HP HU Saint-Louis, Lariboisière, Fernand Widal] (HUSLS-LRB-FW) ; Hôpitaux Universitaires Saint-Louis, Lariboisière, Fernand-Widal,

Newcastle University [Newcastle]

+ 12

Publisher

HAL CCSD,

Elsevier

Abstract

International audience Background: Emotional dysregulation, characterized by high levels of both arousal and intensity of emotional responses, is a core feature of bipolar disorders (BDs). In non-clinical populations, the 40-item Affect Intensity Measure (AIM) can be used to assess the different dimensions of emotional reactivity.Methods: We analyzed the factor structure of the AIM in a sample of 310 euthymic patients with BD using Principal Component Analysis and examined associations between AIM sub-scale scores and demographic and illness characteristics.Results: The French translation of the AIM demonstrated good reliability. A four-factor solution similar to that reported in non-clinical samples (Positive Affectivity, Unpeacefulness [lack of Serenity], Negative Reactivity, Negative Intensity), explained 47% of the total variance. Age and gender were associated with Unpeacefulness and Negative reactivity respectively. 'Unpeacefulness' was also positively associated with psychotic symptoms at onset (p=0.0006), but negatively associated with co-morbid substance misuse (p=0.008). Negative Intensity was positively associated with social phobia (p=0.0005).Limitations: We cannot definitively exclude a lack of statistical power to classify all AIM items. Euthymia was carefully defined, but a degree of 'contamination' of the self-reported levels of emotion reactivity may occur because of subsyndromal BD symptoms. It was not feasible to control for the possible impact of on-going treatments.Conclusions: The AIM scale appears to be a useful measure of emotional reactivity and intensity in a clinical sample of patients with BD, suggesting it can be used in addition to other markers of BD characteristics and sub-types.