Use of the Rorschach Inkblot Test to aid in diagnosis of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents
Year: 2005
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Although Bipolar Disorder was once considered rare in children and adolescents, \nin recent years it has become a frequent diagnosis for youth. However, diagnosis of \nBipolar Disorder (BPD) in children is complicated by ambiguous symptoms and co \nexistence with other psychiatric disorders. Existing research into differential diagnosis of \nBPD in children focuses on interviews and parent report instruments. This study sought \nto give counseling psychologists more tools with which to make differential diagnosis, by \nascertaining what variables and indices of the Rorschach Inkblot Test might signal the \npresence of BPD. \nv \nThe present study examined differences in Rorschach profiles of psychiatric \ninpatient youth diagnosed with bipolar disorder as compared to those given another \nDSM-IV-TR Axis I diagnosis. A hierarchical discriminant function analysis was used to \nexamine the ability of selected Rorschach variables to improve accuracy of diagnosis \nbeyond the use of historical and behavioral variables alone. A discriminant function \nanalysis with historical and behavioral information was able to classify children into BPD \nand Depression groups beyond what would be expected by chance. Although the \ndiscriminant function was still significant when Rorschach variables were added, \nRorschach variables did not significantly improve the ability of the function to classify \nchildren as BPD or Depressed. A discriminant function including behavioral and \nhistorical variables was unable to predict diagnostic group membership in Bipolar \nDisorder Type I or a broader Bipolar diagnosis, regardless of whether Rorschach \nvariables were included in the equation. T-tests were performed to examine differences in \nselected Rorschach variables between diagnostic groups; again, no significant results \nwere found. Results, implications, and limitations of the study as well as future research \ndirections are discussed.
Author: Tonya Lynn Kellerman
Language: English
Subfield: Applied Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1814280263