Bipolar Disorder and Educational Attainment: Deciphering a Complex Relationship using Genetic and Sibling Differences - ODISSEI – Open Data Infrastructure for Social Science and Economic Innovations

MAG 2025. Authors: Vaishnavi Kalyanapuram Madhavan, Wonuola Akingbuwa (Vrije Universiteit – Faculteit der Gedrags- en Bewegingswetenschappen).

Bipolar disorder is a severe psychiatric disorder associated with several unfavorable outcomes including reduced educational attainment (EA). Recent evidence, showing both positive and negative associations between bipolar disorder and EA, have led us to hypothesize a model wherein the genetic liability of the two are positively associated, but the development of bipolar disorder disrupts long-term EA outcomes.

To investigate this positive genetic liability shared between bipolar disorder and EA, we propose the use of sibling differences design, which compares siblings within the same family to control for shared genetic and environmental factors1. Family-based designs help mitigate confounders such as population stratification, assortative mating, and indirect genetic effects that lead to biases in population-based estimates. Clarification of this complex association could increase our understanding of bipolar disorder etiology and inform effective interventions.

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