Actual and Ideal Affective Correlates of Risk for Bipolar Disorder: Cultural Similarities and Differences

Decades of research have documented the links between affective traits and clinical symptoms. Most of these studies have focused on “actual affect,” or how people typically feel on average. In two studies (Study 1; n=343; Study 2; n=906), we examined the links between “ideal affect,” or how people ideally want to feel on average, and risk for bipolar disorder (BD). In addition, we begin to examine the role of culture by including European Americans, Asian Americans, and Hong Kong Chinese in Study 2. BD risk was associated with increased actual high-arousal positive affect across the two studies and within each cultural group in Study 2, suggesting cultural similarities in the relationship between BD risk and actual affect. In contrast, associations between BD risk and ideal affect varied across studies and cultural groups. While valuation of HAP was associated with increased risk of BD in Study 1, this association did not emerge within the specific cultural groups in Study 2. Moreover, whereas BD risk was associated with increased valuation of high arousal negative states for Asian-American and Hong Kong Chinese, and decreased valuation of low arousal positive states for Hong Kong Chinese, neither relationship emerged for European Americans. These findings suggest cultural similarities in BD risk associations with actual affect, but cultural differences in BD risk associations with ideal affect.