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Brikell I, Rück C, Kuja-Halkola R. Genes and Rearing-What Explains Intergenerational Transmission of PTSD? JAMA Psychiatry 2024; 81:747-748. [PMID: 38837141 DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.1029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Isabell Brikell
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Christian Rück
- Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm
| | - Ralf Kuja-Halkola
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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Howland MA, Glynn LM. The future of intergenerational transmission research: A prospective, three-generation approach. Dev Psychopathol 2024:1-11. [PMID: 38832544 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579424000622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Dr. Dante Cicchetti's pioneering theory and research on developmental psychopathology have been fundamental to the proliferation of research on intergenerational transmission over the last 40 years. In part due to this foundation, much has been learned about continuities and discontinuities in child maltreatment, attachment, parenting, and psychopathology across generations. Looking towards the future, we propose that this field stands to benefit from a prospective, three-generation approach. Specifically, following established prospective, longitudinal cohorts of children over their transition to parenting the next generation will afford the opportunity to investigate the developmental origins of intergenerational transmission. This approach also can address key outstanding questions and methodological limitations in the extant literature related to the confounding of retrospective and prospective measures; examination of mediators and moderators; and investigation of the roles of biology, environment, and their interplay. After considering these advantages, we offer several considerations and recommendations for future research, many of which are broadly applicable to the study of two or more generations. We hope that this discussion will inspire the leveraging of existing prospective cohorts to carry forward Dr. Cicchetti's remarkable contributions, with the ultimate aim to inform the development of preventions and interventions that disrupt deleterious intergenerational cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariann A Howland
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Laura M Glynn
- Department of Psychology, Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA
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3
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Kleppesto TH, Eilertsen EM, van Bergen E, Sunde HF, Zietsch B, Nordmo M, Eftedal NH, Havdahl A, Ystrom E, Torvik FA. Intergenerational transmission of ADHD behaviors: genetic and environmental pathways. Psychol Med 2024; 54:1309-1317. [PMID: 37920986 DOI: 10.1017/s003329172300315x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We investigate if covariation between parental and child attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) behaviors can be explained by environmental and/or genetic transmission. METHODS We employed a large children-of-twins-and-siblings sample (N = 22 276 parents and 11 566 8-year-old children) of the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study. This enabled us to disentangle intergenerational influences via parental genes and parental behaviors (i.e. genetic and environmental transmission, respectively). Fathers reported on their own symptoms and mothers on their own and their child's symptoms. RESULTS Child ADHD behaviors correlated with their mother's (0.24) and father's (0.10) ADHD behaviors. These correlations were largely due to additive genetic transmission. Variation in children's ADHD behaviors was explained by genetic factors active in both generations (11%) and genetic factors specific to the children (46%), giving a total heritability of 57%. There were small effects of parental ADHD behaviors (2% environmental transmission) and gene-environment correlation (3%). The remaining variability in ADHD behaviors was due to individual-specific environmental factors. CONCLUSIONS The intergenerational resemblance of ADHD behaviors is primarily due to genetic transmission, with little evidence for parental ADHD behaviors causing children's ADHD behaviors. This contradicts theories proposing environmental explanations of intergenerational transmission of ADHD, such as parenting theories or psychological life-history theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas H Kleppesto
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Espen Moen Eilertsen
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- PROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Elsje van Bergen
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Research Institute LEARN!, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hans Fredrik Sunde
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Brendan Zietsch
- Centre for Psychology and Evolution, School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Magnus Nordmo
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Educational Science, University of South-Eastern Norway, Notodden, Norway
| | - Nikolai Haahjem Eftedal
- PROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Alexandra Havdahl
- PROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Nic Waals Institute, Spångbergveien 25, 0853 Oslo, Norway
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Eivind Ystrom
- PROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Fartein Ask Torvik
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- PROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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4
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Badini I, Ahmadzadeh YI, Wechsler DL, Lyngstad TH, Rayner C, Eilertsen EM, Zavos HMS, Ystrom E, McAdams TA. Socioeconomic status and risk for child psychopathology: exploring gene-environment interaction in the presence of gene-environment correlation using extended families in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Birth Cohort Study. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2024; 65:176-187. [PMID: 37571996 PMCID: PMC10859652 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with increased risk for emotional and behavioural problems among children. Evidence from twin studies has shown that family SES moderates genetic and environmental influences on child mental health. However, it is also known that SES is itself under genetic influence and previous gene-environment interaction (G×E) studies have not incorporated the potential genetic overlap between child mental health and family SES into G×E analyses. We applied a novel approach using extended family data to investigate the moderation of aetiological influences on child emotional and behavioural problems by parental socioeconomic status in the presence of modelled gene-environment correlation. METHODS The sample comprised >28,100 children in extended-family units drawn from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). Mothers reported children's emotional and behavioural symptoms. Parents' income and educational attainment were obtained through linkage to administrative register data. Bivariate moderation Multiple-Children-of-Twins-and-Siblings (MCoTS) models were used to analyse relationships between offspring outcomes (emotional and behavioural symptom scores) and parental socioeconomic moderators (income rank and educational attainment). RESULTS The aetiology of child emotional symptoms was moderated by maternal and paternal educational attainment. Shared environmental influences on child emotional symptoms were greater at lower levels of parents' education. The aetiology of child behavioural symptoms was moderated by maternal, but not paternal, socioeconomic factors. Genetic factors shared between maternal income and child behavioural symptoms were greater in families with lower levels maternal income. Nonshared environmental influences on child behavioural symptoms were greater in families with higher maternal income and education. CONCLUSIONS Parental socioeconomic indicators moderated familial influences and nonshared environmental influences on child emotional and behavioural outcomes. Maternal SES and child mental health share aetiological overlap such that shared genetic influence was greater at the lower end of the socioeconomic distribution. Our findings collectively highlight the role that family socioeconomic factors play in shaping the origins of child emotional and behavioural problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella Badini
- Social, Genetic, & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Yasmin I. Ahmadzadeh
- Social, Genetic, & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel L. Wechsler
- Social, Genetic, & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Torkild H. Lyngstad
- Department of Sociology and Human Geography, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Christopher Rayner
- Social, Genetic, & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Espen M. Eilertsen
- PROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Helena M. S. Zavos
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Eivind Ystrom
- PROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Tom A. McAdams
- Social, Genetic, & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- PROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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Dissanayake L, Herath B, Opatha J, Jabir S, Siriwardana R, Sirisena K, Wickramasinghe M, Wimalasekera M, Liyanage R, Duminda Guruge GN, Jayaweera K, Jayawardena R, Zavos HMS, Sumathipala A, Rijsdijk F. The Colombo Twin and Singleton Study (COTASS): Piloting the Feasibility of Collecting Nutritional Data and Extension of the Sample to Include Children of Twins. Behav Genet 2024; 54:63-72. [PMID: 38184818 PMCID: PMC10822816 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-023-10171-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/08/2024]
Abstract
Nutrition and diet are key modifiable risk factors for the rising burden of non-communicable diseases like cardio-vascular diseases and diabetes in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs). The nutritional transition in dietary behaviours in LMICs has most likely contributed to this problem. Although traditionally assumed to be environmental, dietary choices are also genetically influenced. Twin study designs can be used to investigate the relative influence of genes and environment on nutrition intake, eating behaviours and associated psychological health. The overall aim of this project is to: provide proof-of-concept for the feasibility of using dietary (biomarker) data within the Children-of-Twin design in nutrition studies, develop laboratory skills and statistical genetic skills and establish a Sri Lankan-specific food composition database. Currently, a pilot study is being conducted with 304 individuals (38 Monozygotic twin pairs, 38 Dizygotic twin pairs and their male or female adult offspring). Questionnaire data on nutritional intake, eating behaviours, psychological well-being, physical health, and bio-specimens are being collected. A Sri Lankan-specific food composition database was developed, training sessions on macro and micro element analysis in biological samples and statistical genetics skills development were conducted and Community Engagement and Involvement programs were carried out in two districts of Sri Lanka.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lasith Dissanayake
- Institute for Research and Development in Health and Social Care, No. 393/3, Lily Avenue, Off Robert Gunawardena Mawatha, Battaramulla, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
| | - Binoli Herath
- Institute for Research and Development in Health and Social Care, No. 393/3, Lily Avenue, Off Robert Gunawardena Mawatha, Battaramulla, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Janani Opatha
- Health and Wellness Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Sameeha Jabir
- Institute for Research and Development in Health and Social Care, No. 393/3, Lily Avenue, Off Robert Gunawardena Mawatha, Battaramulla, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Rajindra Siriwardana
- Institute for Research and Development in Health and Social Care, No. 393/3, Lily Avenue, Off Robert Gunawardena Mawatha, Battaramulla, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Kavish Sirisena
- Institute for Research and Development in Health and Social Care, No. 393/3, Lily Avenue, Off Robert Gunawardena Mawatha, Battaramulla, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Malmi Wickramasinghe
- Laboratory of Nutritional Biochemistry, National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Kandy, Sri Lanka
| | - Manouri Wimalasekera
- Institute for Research and Development in Health and Social Care, No. 393/3, Lily Avenue, Off Robert Gunawardena Mawatha, Battaramulla, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Ruvini Liyanage
- Laboratory of Nutritional Biochemistry, National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Kandy, Sri Lanka
| | - G N Duminda Guruge
- Department of Health Promotion, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University, Mihintale, Sri Lanka
| | - Kaushalya Jayaweera
- Institute for Research and Development in Health and Social Care, No. 393/3, Lily Avenue, Off Robert Gunawardena Mawatha, Battaramulla, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Ranil Jayawardena
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Helena M S Zavos
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Athula Sumathipala
- Institute for Research and Development in Health and Social Care, No. 393/3, Lily Avenue, Off Robert Gunawardena Mawatha, Battaramulla, Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, Research Institute for Primary Care & Health Sciences, Keele University, Keele, UK
| | - Frühling Rijsdijk
- Psychology Department, Faculty of Social Sciences, Anton de Kom University, Paramaribo, Suriname
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Oginni OA, Ayorinde A, Ayodele KD, Opara OJ, Mapayi B, Mosaku K. The Challenges and Opportunities for Mental Health Twin Research in Nigeria. Behav Genet 2024; 54:42-50. [PMID: 37733122 PMCID: PMC10822790 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-023-10153-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
The recent interest in increasing diversity in genetic research can be useful in uncovering novel insights into the genetic architecture of mental health disorders - globally and in previously unexplored settings such as low- and middle-income settings like Nigeria. Genetic research into mental health is potentially promising in Nigeria and we reflect on the challenges and opportunities for twin research which may be particularly suited to Nigeria. The higher rates of twinning in Africa and Nigeria specifically, make the twin design an affordable and readily maintainable approach for genetic research in the country. Despite potential challenges with recruitment, data collection, data analysis and dissemination; the success of current efforts suggest that the twin design can tapped even further for greater impact in the country. We highlight some ways in which the scope of twin research can be increased and suggest some ways in which existing challenges can be overcome including recent Patient Participant Involve and Engagement activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olakunle Ayokunmi Oginni
- Department of Mental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
- Department of Mental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile- Ife, Nigeria.
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Ayoyinka Ayorinde
- Department of Mental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile- Ife, Nigeria
| | - Kehinde Dorcas Ayodele
- Department of Mental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile- Ife, Nigeria
| | | | - Boladale Mapayi
- Department of Mental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
- Department of Mental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile- Ife, Nigeria
| | - Kolawole Mosaku
- Department of Mental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
- Department of Mental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile- Ife, Nigeria
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7
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Wechsler DL, Rijsdijk FV, Adamo N, Eilertsen EM, Ahmadzadeh YI, Badini I, Hannigan LJ, Ystrom E, McAdams TA. Assessing aetiological overlap between child and adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms in an extended family design. BJPsych Open 2023; 9:e169. [PMID: 37671545 PMCID: PMC10617499 DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2023.554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Several longitudinal studies have cast doubt on the aetiological overlap between child and adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, a lack of genetically sensitive data following children across adulthood precludes direct evaluation of aetiological overlap between child and adult ADHD. AIMS We circumvent the existing gap in longitudinal data by exploring genetic overlap between maternal (adult) and offspring (child) ADHD and comorbid symptoms in an extended family cohort. METHOD Data were drawn from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study, a Norwegian birth registry cohort of 114 500 children and their parents. Medical Birth Registry of Norway data were used to link extended families. Mothers self-reported their own ADHD symptoms when children were aged 3 years; reported children's ADHD symptoms at age 5 years; and children's ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), conduct disorder, anxiety and depression symptoms at age 8 years. Genetic correlations were derived from Multiple-Children-of-Twins-and-Siblings and extended bivariate twin models. RESULTS Phenotypic correlations between adult ADHD symptoms and child ADHD, ODD, conduct disorder, anxiety and depression symptoms at age 8 years were underpinned by medium-to-large genetic correlations (child ADHD: rG = 0.55, 95% CI 0.43-0.93; ODD: rG = 0.80, 95% CI 0.46-1; conduct disorder: rG = 0.44, 95% CI 0.28-1; anxiety: rG = 0.72, 95% CI 0.48-1; depression: rG = 1, 95% CI 0.66-1). These cross-generational adult-child genetic correlations were of a comparable magnitude to equivalent child-child genetic correlations with ADHD symptoms at age 5 years. CONCLUSIONS Our findings provide genetically sensitive evidence that ADHD symptoms in adulthood share a common genetic architecture with symptoms of ADHD and four comorbid disorders at age 8 years. These findings suggest that in the majority of cases, ADHD symptoms in adulthood are not aetiologically distinct from in childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L. Wechsler
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - Fruhling V. Rijsdijk
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK; and Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Anton de Kom University, Suriname
| | - Nicoletta Adamo
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK; and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Espen M. Eilertsen
- PROMENTA Research Centre, University of Oslo, Norway; and Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Yasmin I. Ahmadzadeh
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - Isabella Badini
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - Laurie J. Hannigan
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway; Nic Waals Institute, Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital, Oslo, Norway; and Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, UK
| | - Eivind Ystrom
- PROMENTA Research Centre, University of Oslo, Norway; Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway; and School of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, Norway
| | - Tom A. McAdams
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK; and PROMENTA Research Centre, University of Oslo, Norway
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8
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Wertz J, Moffitt TE, Arseneault L, Barnes JC, Boivin M, Corcoran DL, Danese A, Hancox RJ, Harrington H, Houts RM, Langevin S, Liu H, Poulton R, Sugden K, Tanksley PT, Williams BS, Caspi A. Genetic associations with parental investment from conception to wealth inheritance in six cohorts. Nat Hum Behav 2023; 7:1388-1401. [PMID: 37386103 PMCID: PMC10444618 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01618-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
Genetic inheritance is not the only way parents' genes may affect children. It is also possible that parents' genes are associated with investments into children's development. We examined evidence for links between parental genetics and parental investments, from the prenatal period through to adulthood, using data from six population-based cohorts in the UK, US and New Zealand, together totalling 36,566 parents. Our findings revealed associations between parental genetics-summarized in a genome-wide polygenic score-and parental behaviour across development, from smoking in pregnancy, breastfeeding in infancy, parenting in childhood and adolescence, to leaving a wealth inheritance to adult children. Effect sizes tended to be small at any given time point, ranging from RR = 1.12 (95% confidence interval (95%CI) 1.09, 1.15) to RR = 0.76 (95%CI 0.72, 0.80) during the prenatal period and infancy; β = 0.07 (95%CI 0.04, 0.11) to β = 0.29 (95%CI 0.27, 0.32) in childhood and adolescence, and RR = 1.04 (95%CI 1.01, 1.06) to RR = 1.11 (95%CI 1.07, 1.15) in adulthood. There was evidence for accumulating effects across development, ranging from β = 0.15 (95%CI 0.11, 0.18) to β = 0.23 (95%CI 0.16, 0.29) depending on cohort. Our findings are consistent with the interpretation that parents pass on advantages to offspring not only via direct genetic transmission or purely environmental paths, but also via genetic associations with parental investment from conception to wealth inheritance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmin Wertz
- Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
| | - Terrie E Moffitt
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- PROMENTA Research Center, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Louise Arseneault
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - J C Barnes
- School of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Michel Boivin
- School of Psychology, Laval University, Quebec, Quebec, Canada
| | - David L Corcoran
- Department of Genetics, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Andrea Danese
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- National and Specialist CAMHS Clinic for Trauma, Anxiety and Depression, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Robert J Hancox
- Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - HonaLee Harrington
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Renate M Houts
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Stephanie Langevin
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- School of Psychology, Laval University, Quebec, Quebec, Canada
| | - Hexuan Liu
- School of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Science, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Richie Poulton
- Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Karen Sugden
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Peter T Tanksley
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
- Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Benjamin S Williams
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Avshalom Caspi
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- PROMENTA Research Center, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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9
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Hagenbeek FA, Hirzinger JS, Breunig S, Bruins S, Kuznetsov DV, Schut K, Odintsova VV, Boomsma DI. Maximizing the value of twin studies in health and behaviour. Nat Hum Behav 2023:10.1038/s41562-023-01609-6. [PMID: 37188734 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01609-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
In the classical twin design, researchers compare trait resemblance in cohorts of identical and non-identical twins to understand how genetic and environmental factors correlate with resemblance in behaviour and other phenotypes. The twin design is also a valuable tool for studying causality, intergenerational transmission, and gene-environment correlation and interaction. Here we review recent developments in twin studies, recent results from twin studies of new phenotypes and recent insights into twinning. We ask whether the results of existing twin studies are representative of the general population and of global diversity, and we conclude that stronger efforts to increase representativeness are needed. We provide an updated overview of twin concordance and discordance for major diseases and mental disorders, which conveys a crucial message: genetic influences are not as deterministic as many believe. This has important implications for public understanding of genetic risk prediction tools, as the accuracy of genetic predictions can never exceed identical twin concordance rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona A Hagenbeek
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Jana S Hirzinger
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Complex Trait Genetics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Sophie Breunig
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Susanne Bruins
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Dmitry V Kuznetsov
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Faculty of Sociology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Kirsten Schut
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Nightingale Health Plc, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Veronika V Odintsova
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Reproduction & Development (AR&D) Research Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center of Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
- Amsterdam Reproduction & Development (AR&D) Research Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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10
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Pingault JB, Barkhuizen W, Wang B, Hannigan LJ, Eilertsen EM, Corfield E, Andreassen OA, Ask H, Tesli M, Askeland RB, Davey Smith G, Stoltenberg C, Davies NM, Reichborn-Kjennerud T, Ystrom E, Havdahl A. Genetic nurture versus genetic transmission of risk for ADHD traits in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:1731-1738. [PMID: 36385167 PMCID: PMC10208953 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01863-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Identifying mechanisms underlying the intergenerational transmission of risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) traits can inform interventions and provide insights into the role of parents in shaping their children's outcomes. We investigated whether genetic transmission and genetic nurture (environmentally mediated effects) underlie associations between polygenic scores indexing parental risk and protective factors and their offspring's ADHD traits. This birth cohort study included 19,506 genotyped mother-father-offspring trios from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study. Polygenic scores were calculated for parental factors previously associated with ADHD, including psychopathology, substance use, neuroticism, educational attainment, and cognitive performance. Mothers reported on their 8-year-old children's ADHD traits (n = 9,454 children) using the Parent/Teacher Rating Scale for Disruptive Behaviour Disorders. We found that associations between ADHD maternal and paternal polygenic scores and child ADHD traits decreased significantly when adjusting for the child polygenic score (pΔβ = 9.95 × 10-17 for maternal and pΔβ = 1.48 × 10-14 for paternal estimates), suggesting genetic transmission of ADHD risk. Similar patterns suggesting genetic transmission of risk were observed for smoking, educational attainment, and cognition. The maternal polygenic score for neuroticism remained associated with children's ADHD ratings even after adjusting for the child polygenic score, indicating genetic nurture. There was no robust evidence of genetic nurture for other parental factors. Our findings indicate that the intergenerational transmission of risk for ADHD traits is largely explained by the transmission of genetic variants from parents to offspring rather than by genetic nurture. Observational associations between parental factors and childhood ADHD outcomes should not be interpreted as evidence for predominantly environmentally mediated effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Baptiste Pingault
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Wikus Barkhuizen
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Biyao Wang
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Laurie J Hannigan
- Nic Waals Institute, Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU), University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Espen Moen Eilertsen
- PROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Elizabeth Corfield
- Nic Waals Institute, Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ole A Andreassen
- NORMENT Centre, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo and Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Helga Ask
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- PROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Martin Tesli
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- NORMENT Centre, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo and Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ragna Bugge Askeland
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU), University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- NORMENT Centre, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo and Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - George Davey Smith
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU), University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Camilla Stoltenberg
- Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Neil M Davies
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU), University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- K.G. Jebsen Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Public Health and Nursing, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Ted Reichborn-Kjennerud
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo and Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Eivind Ystrom
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- PROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- School of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Alexandra Havdahl
- Nic Waals Institute, Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU), University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- PROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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11
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McAdams TA, Cheesman R, Ahmadzadeh YI. Annual Research Review: Towards a deeper understanding of nature and nurture: combining family-based quasi-experimental methods with genomic data. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2023; 64:693-707. [PMID: 36379220 PMCID: PMC10952916 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Distinguishing between the effects of nature and nurture constitutes a major research goal for those interested in understanding human development. It is known, for example, that many parent traits predict mental health outcomes in children, but the causal processes underlying such associations are often unclear. Family-based quasi-experimental designs such as sibling comparison, adoption and extended family studies have been used for decades to distinguish the genetic transmission of risk from the environmental effects family members potentially have on one another. Recently, these designs have been combined with genomic data, and this combination is fuelling a range of exciting methodological advances. In this review we explore these advances - highlighting the ways in which they have been applied to date and considering what they are likely to teach us in the coming years about the aetiology and intergenerational transmission of psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom A. McAdams
- Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK
- PROMENTA Research Centre, Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Rosa Cheesman
- Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK
- PROMENTA Research Centre, Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Yasmin I. Ahmadzadeh
- Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK
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12
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Gidziela A, Ahmadzadeh YI, Michelini G, Allegrini AG, Agnew-Blais J, Lau LY, Duret M, Procopio F, Daly E, Ronald A, Rimfeld K, Malanchini M. A meta-analysis of genetic effects associated with neurodevelopmental disorders and co-occurring conditions. Nat Hum Behav 2023; 7:642-656. [PMID: 36806400 PMCID: PMC10129867 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01530-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023]
Abstract
A systematic understanding of the aetiology of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) and their co-occurrence with other conditions during childhood and adolescence remains incomplete. In the current meta-analysis, we synthesized the literature on (1) the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to NDDs, (2) the genetic and environmental overlap between different NDDs, and (3) the co-occurrence between NDDs and disruptive, impulse control and conduct disorders (DICCs). Searches were conducted across three platforms: Web of Science, Ovid Medline and Ovid Embase. Studies were included only if 75% or more of the sample consisted of children and/or adolescents and the studies had measured the aetiology of NDDs and DICCs using single-generation family designs or genomic methods. Studies that had selected participants on the basis of unrelated diagnoses or injuries were excluded. We performed multilevel, random-effects meta-analyses on 296 independent studies, including over four million (partly overlapping) individuals. We further explored developmental trajectories and the moderating roles of gender, measurement, geography and ancestry. We found all NDDs to be substantially heritable (family-based heritability, 0.66 (s.e. = 0.03); SNP heritability, 0.19 (s.e. = 0.03)). Meta-analytic genetic correlations between NDDs were moderate (grand family-based genetic correlation, 0.36 (s.e. = 0.12); grand SNP-based genetic correlation, 0.39 (s.e. = 0.19)) but differed substantially between pairs of disorders. The genetic overlap between NDDs and DICCs was strong (grand family-based genetic correlation, 0.62 (s.e. = 0.20)). While our work provides evidence to inform and potentially guide clinical and educational diagnostic procedures and practice, it also highlights the imbalance in the research effort that has characterized developmental genetics research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Gidziela
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Yasmin I Ahmadzadeh
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Giorgia Michelini
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
- UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Andrea G Allegrini
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, London, UK
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Jessica Agnew-Blais
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Lok Yan Lau
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Megan Duret
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Francesca Procopio
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Emily Daly
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Angelica Ronald
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck University of London, London, UK
| | - Kaili Rimfeld
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, UK
| | - Margherita Malanchini
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, London, UK.
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13
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Toombs E, Lund JI, Mushquash AR, Mushquash CJ. Intergenerational residential school attendance and increased substance use among First Nation adults living off-reserve: An analysis of the aboriginal peoples survey 2017. Front Public Health 2023; 10:1029139. [PMID: 36743177 PMCID: PMC9895934 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1029139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRCC) published 94 Calls to Action in 2015 to address long-term, intergenerational effects of the residential school system, highlighting the pervasive impact of colonialism on the wellbeing of Indigenous peoples in Canada. Indeed, research with Indigenous populations in Canada has captured that prior experiences of residential schools contributes to the intergenerational transmission of mental and physical health disparities. Despite these studies, further research is needed that contextualizes the influence of residential schools within broader frameworks that consider Indigenous social determinants of health in Canada. As such, the purpose of the present study was to examine patterns of substance use and mental and physical health among individuals with a history of residential school attendance (RSA) and individuals reporting parent or two-generation (parent and grandparent) RSA. Method Data from the Aboriginal Peoples Survey (2017), involving 10,030 First Nations individuals living off reserve, were analyzed. Results Self-reported mental and physical health scores were significantly lower among those had attended residential schools, whose parents attended residential schools, and whose grandparents attended residential schools, when compared to those who did not. Further, family RSA was associated with increased substance use among participants, though the findings were variable based on sex and specific substance analyzed. Meanwhile, individual and family RSA was not associated with increased likelihood of a mental health diagnosis. Discussion These findings provide additional support for how both parental and two-generation family histories of RSA are associated with individual physical and mental health outcomes. Further, these findings articulate the need for the TRCC's Calls to Action to be actually implemented, including community-based approaches that harness the strength of Indigenous people and communities who aim to close the gap in these health disparities for their children and families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elaine Toombs
- Department of Psychology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada,Dilico Anishinabek Family Care, Fort William First Nation, ON, Canada,*Correspondence: Elaine Toombs ✉
| | - Jessie I. Lund
- Department of Psychology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada
| | - Aislin R. Mushquash
- Department of Psychology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada,Dilico Anishinabek Family Care, Fort William First Nation, ON, Canada
| | - Christopher J. Mushquash
- Department of Psychology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada,Dilico Anishinabek Family Care, Fort William First Nation, ON, Canada,Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) University, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada,Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada,Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada
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14
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Sellers R, Riglin L, Harold GT, Thapar A. Using genetic designs to identify likely causal environmental contributions to psychopathology. Dev Psychopathol 2022; 34:1-13. [PMID: 36200346 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579422000906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The multifactorial nature of psychopathology, whereby both genetic and environmental factors contribute risk, has long been established. In this paper, we provide an update on genetically informative designs that are utilized to disentangle genetic and environmental contributions to psychopathology. We provide a brief reminder of quantitative behavioral genetic research designs that have been used to identify potentially causal environmental processes, accounting for genetic contributions. We also provide an overview of recent molecular genetic approaches that utilize genome-wide association study data which are increasingly being applied to questions relevant to psychopathology research. While genetically informative designs typically have been applied to investigate the origins of psychopathology, we highlight how these approaches can also be used to elucidate potential causal environmental processes that contribute to developmental course and outcomes. We highlight the need to use genetically sensitive designs that align with intervention and prevention science efforts, by considering strengths-based environments to investigate how positive environments can mitigate risk and promote children's strengths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Sellers
- Brighton & Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Lucy Riglin
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- Wolfson Centre for Young People's Mental Health, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Gordon T Harold
- Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- School of Medicine, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Anita Thapar
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- Wolfson Centre for Young People's Mental Health, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
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15
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Marceau K, Yu L, Knopik VS, Ganiban JM, Neiderhiser JM. Intergenerational transmission of psychopathology: An examination of symptom severity and directionality. Dev Psychopathol 2022; 34:1-14. [PMID: 36097811 PMCID: PMC10008754 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579422000852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The present study examined the intergenerational transmission of internalizing and externalizing symptom severity, which indexes comorbidity, and symptom directionality, which indicates differentiation toward externalizing versus internalizing problems. Data are from 854 male and female, same-sex adult twin pairs born between 1926 and 1971 (32-60 years old, M = 44.9 years, SD = 4.9 years) from the Twin and Offspring Study in Sweden and their adolescent offspring (11-22 years old, M = 15.7 years, SD = 2.4 years, 52% female). Children-of-twins models revealed additive (9%) and dominant (45%) genetic and nonshared environmental (47%) influences on twins' symptom severity, and additive genetic (39%) and nonshared environmental (61%) influences on twins' symptom directionality. Both comorbid problems and preponderance of symptoms of a particular - internalizing versus externalizing - spectrum were correlated across parent and child generations, although associations were modest especially for directionality (i.e., transmission of specific symptom type). By interpreting findings alongside a recent study of adolescent twins, we demonstrate that the intergenerational transmission of symptom severity and symptom directionality are both unlikely to be attributable to genetic transmission, are both likely to be influenced by direct phenotypic transmission and/or nonpassive rGE, and the intergenerational transmission of symptom severity is also likely to be influenced by passive rGE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine Marceau
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Li Yu
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Valerie S Knopik
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Jody M Ganiban
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Jenae M Neiderhiser
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
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16
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Havdahl A, Wootton RE, Leppert B, Riglin L, Ask H, Tesli M, Bugge Askeland R, Hannigan LJ, Corfield E, Øyen AS, Andreassen OA, Tilling K, Davey Smith G, Thapar A, Reichborn-Kjennerud T, Stergiakouli E. Associations Between Pregnancy-Related Predisposing Factors for Offspring Neurodevelopmental Conditions and Parental Genetic Liability to Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism, and Schizophrenia: The Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). JAMA Psychiatry 2022; 79:799-810. [PMID: 35793100 PMCID: PMC9260642 DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.1728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Importance Several maternal exposures during pregnancy are considered predisposing factors for offspring neurodevelopmental conditions. However, many of these exposures may be noncausal and biased by maternal genetic liability. Objective To assess whether pregnancy-related predisposing factors for offspring neurodevelopmental conditions are associated with maternal genetic liability for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, and schizophrenia and to compare associations for maternal genetic liability with those for paternal genetic liability, which could indicate that paternal exposures are not suitable negative controls for maternal exposures. Design, Setting, and Participants The Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) is a population-based pregnancy cohort that recruited parents from June 1999 to December 2008. Polygenic scores (PGS) for ADHD, autism, and schizophrenia were derived in mothers and fathers. The associations between maternal PGS and 37 pregnancy-related measures were estimated, and these results were compared with those from paternal PGS predicting paternal measures during the mother's pregnancy. Analysis took place between March 2021 and March 2022. Exposures PGS for ADHD, autism, and schizophrenia, calculated (using discovery effect size estimates and threshold of P < .05) from the largest available genome-wide association studies. Main Outcomes and Measures Self-reported pregnancy-related measures capturing lifestyle behaviors, metabolism, infectious and autoimmune diseases, other physical health conditions, and medication use. Results Data were available for up to 14 539 mothers (mean [SD] age, 30.00 [4.45] years) and 14 897 fathers (mean [SD] age, 32.46 [5.13] years) of European ancestry. Modest but robust associations were observed between specific pregnancy-related measures and maternal PGS, including ADHD PGS with asthma (odds ratio [OR], 1.15 [95% CI, 1.06-1.25]), smoking (OR, 1.26 [95% CI, 1.19-1.33]), prepregnancy body mass index (β, 0.25 [95% CI, 0.18-0.31]), pregnancy weight gain (β, 0.20 [95% CI, 0.10-0.30]), taking folate (OR, 0.92 [95% CI, 0.88-0.96]), and not taking supplements (OR, 1.09 [95% CI, 1.04-1.14]). Schizophrenia PGS was associated with coffee consumption (OR, 1.09 [95% CI, 1.05-1.12]), smoking (OR, 1.12 [95% CI, 1.06-1.19]), prepregnancy body mass index (β, -0.18 [95% CI, -0.25 to -0.11]), and pregnancy weight gain (β, 0.17 [95% CI, 0.07-0.27]). All 3 PGSs associated with symptoms of depression/anxiety (ADHD: OR, 1.15 [95% CI, 1.09-1.22]; autism: OR, 1.13 [95% CI, 1.06-1.19]; schizophrenia: OR, 1.13 [95% CI, 1.07-1.20]). Associations were largely consistent for maternal and paternal PGS, except ADHD PGS and smoking (fathers: OR, 1.13 [95% CI, 1.09-1.17]). Conclusions and Relevance In this study, genetic liability to neurodevelopmental conditions that is passed from mothers to children was associated with several pregnancy-related factors and may therefore confound associations between these pregnancy-related factors and offspring neurodevelopment that have previously been thought to be causal. It is crucial that future study designs account for genetic confounding to obtain valid causal inferences so that accurate advice can be given to pregnant individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Havdahl
- Nic Waals Institute, Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- PROMENTA, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- MRC (Medical Research Council) Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Robyn E. Wootton
- Nic Waals Institute, Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- MRC (Medical Research Council) Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Beate Leppert
- MRC (Medical Research Council) Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Lucy Riglin
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
- Wolfson Centre for Young People’s Mental Health, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Helga Ask
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Martin Tesli
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ragna Bugge Askeland
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- MRC (Medical Research Council) Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Laurie J. Hannigan
- Nic Waals Institute, Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- MRC (Medical Research Council) Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Elizabeth Corfield
- Nic Waals Institute, Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anne-Siri Øyen
- Nic Waals Institute, Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ole A. Andreassen
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Kate Tilling
- MRC (Medical Research Council) Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - George Davey Smith
- MRC (Medical Research Council) Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Anita Thapar
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
- Wolfson Centre for Young People’s Mental Health, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Ted Reichborn-Kjennerud
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Evie Stergiakouli
- MRC (Medical Research Council) Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
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17
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Ahmadzadeh YI, Eley TC, Hannigan L, Creswell C, Lichtenstein P, Spotts E, Ganiban J, Neiderhiser J, Rijsdijk F, McAdams TA. Parental criticism and adolescent internalising symptoms: using a Children-of-Twins design with power calculations to account for genetic influence. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2022; 63:599-607. [PMID: 34374994 PMCID: PMC8828800 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Parental criticism is correlated with internalising symptoms in adolescent offspring. This correlation could in part reflect their genetic relatedness, if the same genes influence behaviours in both parents and offspring. We use a Children-of-Twins design to assess whether parent-reported criticism and offspring internalising symptoms remain associated after controlling for shared genes. To aid interpretation of our results and those of previous Children-of-Twins studies, we examine statistical power for the detection of genetic effects and explore the direction of possible causal effects between generations. METHODS Data were drawn from two Swedish twin samples, comprising 876 adult twin pairs with adolescent offspring and 1,030 adolescent twin pairs with parents. Parent reports of criticism towards their offspring were collected concurrently with parent and offspring reports of adolescent internalising symptoms. Children-of-Twins structural equation models were used to control for genetic influence on the intergenerational association between parental criticism and adolescent internalising. RESULTS Parental criticism was associated with adolescent internalising symptoms after controlling for genetic influence. No significant role was found for shared genes influencing phenotypes in both generations, although power analyses suggested that some genetic effects may have gone undetected. Models could not distinguish directionality for nongenetic, causal effects between generations. CONCLUSIONS Parental criticism may be involved in psychosocial family processes in the context of adolescent internalising. Future studies should seek to identify these processes and provide clarity on the direction of potential causal effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasmin I Ahmadzadeh
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Thalia C Eley
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Laurie Hannigan
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Nic Waals Institute, Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Cathy Creswell
- Departments of Experimental Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Paul Lichtenstein
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Erica Spotts
- Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jody Ganiban
- Department of Psychology, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Jenae Neiderhiser
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Fruhling Rijsdijk
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Tom A McAdams
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Promenta Research Centre, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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18
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Latvala A, Kuja-Halkola R, D'Onofrio BM, Jayaram-Lindström N, Larsson H, Lichtenstein P. Association of parental substance misuse with offspring substance misuse and criminality: a genetically informed register-based study. Psychol Med 2022; 52:496-505. [PMID: 32597745 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291720002135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genetically informed studies have provided mixed findings as to what extent parental substance misuse is associated with offspring substance misuse and antisocial behavior due to shared environmental and genetic factors. METHODS We linked data from nationwide registries for a cohort of 2 476 198 offspring born in Sweden 1958-1995 and their parents. Substance misuse was defined as International Classification of Diseases diagnoses of alcohol/drug use disorders or alcohol/drug-related criminal convictions. Quantitative genetic offspring-of-siblings analyses in offspring of monozygotic and dizygotic twin, full-sibling, and half-sibling parents were conducted. RESULTS Both maternal and paternal substance misuse were robustly associated with offspring substance misuse [maternal adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 1.83 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.80-1.87); paternal aHR = 1.96 (1.94-1.98)] and criminal convictions [maternal aHR = 1.56 (1.54-1.58); paternal aHR = 1.66 (1.64-1.67)]. Additive genetic effects explained 42% (95% CI 25-56%) and 46% (36-55%) of the variance in maternal and paternal substance misuse, respectively, and between 36 and 44% of the variance in substance misuse and criminality in offspring. The associations between parental substance misuse and offspring outcomes were mostly due to additive genetic effects, which explained 54-85% of the parent-offspring covariance. However, both nuclear and extended family environmental factors also contributed to the associations, especially with offspring substance misuse. CONCLUSIONS Our findings from a large offspring-of-siblings study indicate that shared genetic influences mostly explain the associations between parental substance misuse and both offspring substance misuse and criminality, but we also found evidence for the contribution of environmental factors shared by members of nuclear and extended families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antti Latvala
- Institute of Criminology and Legal Policy, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ralf Kuja-Halkola
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Brian M D'Onofrio
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Nitya Jayaram-Lindström
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Center for Psychiatry Research, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Henrik Larsson
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Paul Lichtenstein
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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19
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Ask H, Eilertsen EM, Gjerde LC, Hannigan LJ, Gustavson K, Havdahl A, Cheesman R, McAdams TA, Hettema JM, Reichborn‐Kjennerud T, Torvik FA, Ystrom E. Intergenerational transmission of parental neuroticism to emotional problems in 8-year-old children: Genetic and environmental influences. JCPP ADVANCES 2021; 1:e12054. [PMID: 37431400 PMCID: PMC10242898 DOI: 10.1002/jcv2.12054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 09/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Children of parents with high levels of neuroticism tend to have high neuroticism themselves as well as increased risk of experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression. It is not yet clear how much of this link is attributable to a potential effect of parent on child (e.g., via a socializing effect) versus to shared genetic risk. We aimed to determine whether there is an intergenerational association after accounting for genetic transmission and assortative mating. Methods We used data from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study including 11,088 sibling pairs in the parental generation, their partners (N = 22,176) and their offspring (N = 26,091). Exposures were maternal and paternal neuroticism (self-reported), and the outcomes were neuroticism, symptoms of depression, and symptoms of anxiety in 8-year-old children (mother-reported). Results After accounting for assortative mating in parents (phenotypic r = 0.26) and genetic transmission (explaining 0%-18% of the mother-offspring correlations), potential maternal effects explained 80% (95% CI = 47-95) of the association with offspring neuroticism (mother-child r = 0.31), 78% (95% CI = 66-89) of the association with offspring depressive symptoms (r = 0.31), and 98% (95% CI = 45-112) of the association with offspring anxiety symptoms (r = 0.16). Intergenerational transmission of genetic variants associated with paternal neuroticism accounted for ∼40% (CI = 22%-58%) of the father-offspring correlations with neuroticism and symptoms of depression (r = 0.13 and 0.13, respectively) but none with offspring symptoms of anxiety (r = 0.05). The remaining father-offspring correlations were explained by maternal influences through assortative mating. Conclusions These results are consistent with direct effects between maternal and offspring neuroticism and between maternal neuroticism and offspring symptoms of anxiety and depression. Further understanding of these intergenerational processes will require an adequate model of how these constructs (neuroticism, anxiety and depression) relate to each other within generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helga Ask
- Department of Mental DisordersNorwegian Institute of Public HealthOsloNorway
| | | | - Line C. Gjerde
- Department of Mental DisordersNorwegian Institute of Public HealthOsloNorway
- PROMENTA Research CenterUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
| | | | - Kristin Gustavson
- Department of Mental DisordersNorwegian Institute of Public HealthOsloNorway
- PROMENTA Research CenterUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Alexandra Havdahl
- Department of Mental DisordersNorwegian Institute of Public HealthOsloNorway
- PROMENTA Research CenterUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
- Nic Waals InstituteLovisenberg Diaconal HospitalOsloNorway
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology UnitUniversity of BristolBristolUK
| | - Rosa Cheesman
- Social Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry CentreKing's College LondonLondonUK
| | - Tom A. McAdams
- PROMENTA Research CenterUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
- Social Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry CentreKing's College LondonLondonUK
| | | | - Ted Reichborn‐Kjennerud
- Department of Mental DisordersNorwegian Institute of Public HealthOsloNorway
- Institute of Clinical MedicineUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Fartein A. Torvik
- Centre for Fertility and HealthNorwegian Institute of Public HealthOsloNorway
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Eivind Ystrom
- Department of Mental DisordersNorwegian Institute of Public HealthOsloNorway
- PROMENTA Research CenterUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
- School of PharmacyUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
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20
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Munakata Y, Michaelson LE. Executive Functions in Social Context: Implications for Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Supporting Developmental Trajectories. ANNUAL REVIEW OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2021; 3:139-163. [PMID: 38993653 PMCID: PMC11238700 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-devpsych-121318-085005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/13/2024]
Abstract
Success in life is linked to executive functions, a collection of cognitive processes that support goal-directed behaviors. Executive functions is an umbrella term related to cognitive control, self-control, and more. Variations in executive functioning predict concurrent success in schooling, relationships, and behavior, as well as important life outcomes years later. Such findings may suggest that certain individuals are destined for good executive functioning and success. However, environmental influences on executive function and development have long been recognized. Recent research in this tradition demonstrates the power of social contextual influences on children's engagement of executive functions. Such findings suggest new interpretations of why individuals differ in executive functioning and associated life outcomes, including across cultures and socioeconomic statuses. These findings raise fundamental questions about how best to conceptualize, measure, and support executive functioning across diverse contexts. Future research addressing real-world dynamics and computational mechanisms will elucidate how executive functioning emerges in the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuko Munakata
- Department of Psychology and Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | - Laura E Michaelson
- Human Services Division, American Institutes for Research, Arlington, Virginia 22202, USA
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21
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Eilertsen EM, Hannigan LJ, McAdams TA, Rijsdijk FV, Czajkowski N, Reichborn-Kjennerud T, Ystrom E, Gjerde LC. Parental Prenatal Symptoms of Depression and Offspring Symptoms of ADHD: A Genetically Informed Intergenerational Study. J Atten Disord 2021; 25:1554-1563. [PMID: 32338109 DOI: 10.1177/1087054720914386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Objective: The primary aim of the present study was to separate the direct effect of maternal prenatal depression on offspring ADHD from the passive transmission of genetic liability. Method: A children-of-twins and siblings design including 17,070 extended-family units participating in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study was used. Self-ratings were obtained from parents using the Symptom Checklist during pregnancy. Maternal ratings using Conner's Parent Rating Scale were obtained when the children were 5 years of age. Results: Genetic influences were important for explaining similarity between parents and offspring. There was also evidence for a maternal effect after accounting for genetic transmission (m = 0.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.02, 0.09]). Conclusion: Our results were consistent with hypotheses suggesting that maternal prenatal depression influences symptoms of ADHD in offspring. However, the effect was weak and a substantial portion of the association could be accounted for by shared genetic influences.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Nikolai Czajkowski
- Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.,University of Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Eivind Ystrom
- Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.,University of Oslo, Norway
| | - Line C Gjerde
- Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.,University of Oslo, Norway
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22
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Ahmadzadeh YI, Schoeler T, Han M, Pingault JB, Creswell C, McAdams TA. Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Genetically Informed Research: Associations Between Parent Anxiety and Offspring Internalizing Problems. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2021; 60:823-840. [PMID: 33675965 PMCID: PMC8259118 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2020.12.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Parent anxiety is associated with offspring internalizing problems (emotional problems related to anxiety and depression). This may reflect causal processes, whereby exposure to parent anxiety directly influences offspring internalizing (and/or vice versa). However, parent-offspring associations could also be attributable to their genetic relatedness. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to investigate whether exposure to parent anxiety is associated with offspring internalizing after controlling for genetic relatedness. METHOD A literature search across 5 databases identified 429 unique records. Publications were retained if they used a quasi-experimental design in a general population sample to control for participant relatedness in associations between parent anxiety and offspring internalizing outcomes. Publications were excluded if they involved an experimental exposure or intervention. Studies of prenatal and postnatal anxiety exposure were meta-analyzed separately. Pearson's correlation coefficient estimates (r) were pooled using multilevel random-effects models. RESULTS Eight publications were retained. Data were drawn from 4 population cohorts, each unique to a quasi-experimental design: adoption, sibling-comparison, children-of-twins or in vitro fertilization. Cohorts were located in northern Europe or America. Families were predominantly of European ancestry. Three publications (Nfamilies >11,700; offspring age range, 0.5-10 years) showed no association between prenatal anxiety exposure and offspring internalizing outcomes after accounting for participant relatedness (r = .04; 95% CI: -.07, .14). Six publications (Nfamilies >12,700; offspring age range, 0.75-22 years) showed a small but significant association between concurrent symptoms in parents and offspring after accounting for participant relatedness (r = .13; 95% CI: .04, .21). CONCLUSION Initial literature, derived from homogeneous populations, suggests that prenatal anxiety exposure does not cause offspring internalizing outcomes. However, postnatal anxiety exposure may be causally associated with concurrent offspring internalizing via nongenetic pathways. Longitudinal stability, child-to-parent effects, and the role of moderators and methodological biases require attention.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Tom A McAdams
- King's College London, United Kingdom; University of Oslo, Norway
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23
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McAdams TA, Rijsdijk FV, Zavos HMS, Pingault JB. Twins and Causal Inference: Leveraging Nature's Experiment. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2021; 11:a039552. [PMID: 32900702 PMCID: PMC8168524 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a039552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
In this review, we discuss how samples comprising monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs can be used for the purpose of strengthening causal inference by controlling for shared influences on exposure and outcome. We begin by briefly introducing how twin data can be used to inform the biometric decomposition of population variance into genetic, shared environmental, and nonshared environmental influences. We then discuss how extensions to this model can be used to explore whether associations between exposure and outcome survive correction for shared etiology (common causes). We review several analytical approaches that can be applied to twin data for this purpose. These include multivariate structural equation models, cotwin control methods, direction of causation models (cross-sectional and longitudinal), and extended family designs used to assess intergenerational associations. We conclude by highlighting some of the limitations and considerations that researchers should be aware of when using twin data for the purposes of interrogating causal hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom A McAdams
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, United Kingdom
- Promenta Research Centre, University of Oslo, Oslo 0373, Norway
| | - Fruhling V Rijsdijk
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, United Kingdom
| | - Helena M S Zavos
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, United Kingdom
| | - Jean-Baptiste Pingault
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, United Kingdom
- Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
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24
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Jami ES, Hammerschlag AR, Bartels M, Middeldorp CM. Parental characteristics and offspring mental health and related outcomes: a systematic review of genetically informative literature. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:197. [PMID: 33795643 PMCID: PMC8016911 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01300-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Revised: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Various parental characteristics, including psychiatric disorders and parenting behaviours, are associated with offspring mental health and related outcomes in observational studies. The application of genetically informative designs is crucial to disentangle the role of genetic and environmental factors (as well as gene-environment correlation) underlying these observations, as parents provide not only the rearing environment but also transmit 50% of their genes to their offspring. This article first provides an overview of behavioural genetics, matched-pair, and molecular genetics designs that can be applied to investigate parent-offspring associations, whilst modelling or accounting for genetic effects. We then present a systematic literature review of genetically informative studies investigating associations between parental characteristics and offspring mental health and related outcomes, published since 2014. The reviewed studies provide reliable evidence of genetic transmission of depression, criminal behaviour, educational attainment, and substance use. These results highlight that studies that do not use genetically informative designs are likely to misinterpret the mechanisms underlying these parent-offspring associations. After accounting for genetic effects, several parental characteristics, including parental psychiatric traits and parenting behaviours, were associated with offspring internalising problems, externalising problems, educational attainment, substance use, and personality through environmental pathways. Overall, genetically informative designs to study intergenerational transmission prove valuable for the understanding of individual differences in offspring mental health and related outcomes, and mechanisms of transmission within families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eshim S Jami
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
- Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Anke R Hammerschlag
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Child Health Research Centre, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Meike Bartels
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Christel M Middeldorp
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Child Health Research Centre, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Child and Youth Mental Health Service, Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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25
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Gjerde LC, Eilertsen EM, Hannigan LJ, Eley T, Røysamb E, Reichborn-Kjennerud T, Rijsdijk FV, McAdams TA, Ystrom E. Associations between maternal depressive symptoms and risk for offspring early-life psychopathology: the role of genetic and non-genetic mechanisms. Psychol Med 2021; 51:441-449. [PMID: 31813389 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291719003301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although maternal depressive symptoms are robustly associated with offspring early-life psychopathology symptoms, it is not clear which potential mechanisms are at play. We aimed to estimate the relative importance of genetic transmission and direct environmental exposure in these associations on three occasions in early childhood. METHODS Biometric modeling of maternal sisters and their offspring from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study. The analyzed sample comprised 22 316 mothers and 35 589 offspring. Mothers reported their own depressive symptoms using the Symptom checklist, and offspring's concurrent symptoms of psychopathology using the Child Behavior Checklist at 1.5, 3, and 5 years postpartum. RESULTS Associations between maternal symptoms of depression and offspring emotional problems were predominantly explained by passive genetic transmission at 1.5 and 3 years postpartum. At age 5, associations were more due to direct environmental exposure. For offspring behavioral problems, there was no net increase in the importance of direct environmental exposure across occasions. CONCLUSIONS Associations between maternal depressive symptoms and offspring psychopathology symptoms remained after accounting for shared genes, consistent with a small, causal effect. For offspring emotional problems, this effect appeared to increase in importance over time. Our findings imply that treatment of maternal depressive symptoms could also benefit the offspring, and that genetic confounding should be considered in future studies of such mother-offspring associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Line C Gjerde
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- PROMENTA Research Center, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Espen M Eilertsen
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Thalia Eley
- Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Espen Røysamb
- PROMENTA Research Center, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Child Development, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ted Reichborn-Kjennerud
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Fruhling V Rijsdijk
- Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Tom A McAdams
- Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Eivind Ystrom
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- PROMENTA Research Center, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- School of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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26
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Hart SA, Little C, van Bergen E. Nurture might be nature: cautionary tales and proposed solutions. NPJ SCIENCE OF LEARNING 2021; 6:2. [PMID: 33420086 PMCID: PMC7794571 DOI: 10.1038/s41539-020-00079-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Across a wide range of studies, researchers often conclude that the home environment and children's outcomes are causally linked. In contrast, behavioral genetic studies show that parents influence their children by providing them with both environment and genes, meaning the environment that parents provide should not be considered in the absence of genetic influences, because that can lead to erroneous conclusions on causation. This article seeks to provide behavioral scientists with a synopsis of numerous methods to estimate the direct effect of the environment, controlling for the potential of genetic confounding. Ideally, using genetically sensitive designs can fully disentangle this genetic confound, but these require specialized samples. In the near future, researchers will likely have access to measured DNA variants (summarized in a polygenic scores), which could serve as a partial genetic control, but that is currently not an option that is ideal or widely available. We also propose a work around for when genetically sensitive data are not readily available: the Familial Control Method. In this method, one measures the same trait in the parents as the child, and the parents' trait is then used as a covariate (e.g., a genetic proxy). When these options are all not possible, we plead with our colleagues to clearly mention genetic confound as a limitation, and to be cautious with any environmental causal statements which could lead to unnecessary parent blaming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara A Hart
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
- Florida Center for Reading Research, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
| | - Callie Little
- Florida Center for Reading Research, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
| | - Elsje van Bergen
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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27
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Torvik FA, Eilertsen EM, McAdams TA, Gustavson K, Zachrisson HD, Brandlistuen R, Gjerde LC, Havdahl A, Stoltenberg C, Ask H, Ystrom E. Mechanisms linking parental educational attainment with child ADHD, depression, and academic problems: a study of extended families in The Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2020; 61:1009-1018. [PMID: 31957030 PMCID: PMC8607471 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Low educational attainment in parents is associated with child psychopathology. It is not clear whether the associations are due to risk factors that family members share or due to effects of maternal or paternal education on the offspring. We investigate whether associations between maternal and paternal educational attainment and child symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, and academic problems are due to shared genetic factors, shared family environmental factors, or effects of the parental phenotype educational attainment itself. METHODS This study is based on the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). The sample comprised 34,958 children (17,128 girls) in 28,372 extended-family units. We used data from related nuclear families linked by siblings in the parent generation. We applied a quasi-experimental extended children-of-twins design that included siblings in both generations and took account of nonrandom mating by including partners. Educational attainment was self-reported by mothers and fathers. Mothers reported children's symptoms of ADHD, symptoms of depression, and academic problems by questionnaire when the children were 8 years old. RESULTS Children of lowly educated parents scored higher on all outcomes and had an approximate doubling of the risk of high symptom levels. The association between maternal and paternal educational attainment and child symptoms of ADHD and academic problems persisted after controlling for shared genetic and family environmental factors. Phenotypic transmission to depression was weaker and in the best fitting model fully explained by genetic factors shared by the two generations. CONCLUSIONS Associations between educational attainment of mothers and fathers and child symptoms of ADHD and academic problems could not be ascribed to shared familial risk factors, whereas associations with symptoms of depression could. Parental education or resources and behaviors resulting from low education might be targets of interventions aimed at reducing symptoms of ADHD and academic problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fartein Ask Torvik
- Centre for Fertility and HealthNorwegian Institute of Public HealthOsloNorway,Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
| | | | - Tom A. McAdams
- Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry CentreInstitute of Psychiatry, Psychology & NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK,Promenta Research CentreUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Kristin Gustavson
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOsloNorway,Norwegian Institute of Public HealthOsloNorway
| | | | | | - Line C. Gjerde
- Norwegian Institute of Public HealthOsloNorway,Promenta Research CentreUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Alexandra Havdahl
- Norwegian Institute of Public HealthOsloNorway,Nic Waals InstituteLovisenberg Diaconal HospitalOsloNorway,MRC Integrative Epidemiology UnitUniversity of BristolBristolUK
| | - Camilla Stoltenberg
- Norwegian Institute of Public HealthOsloNorway,Department of Global Public Health and Primary CareUniversity of BergenBergenNorway
| | - Helga Ask
- Norwegian Institute of Public HealthOsloNorway
| | - Eivind Ystrom
- Norwegian Institute of Public HealthOsloNorway,Promenta Research CentreUniversity of OsloOsloNorway,PharmacoEpidemiology and Drug Safety Research GroupSchool of PharmacyUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
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28
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Nicholas (Nick) G. Martin and the Extended Twin Model. Twin Res Hum Genet 2020; 23:84-86. [PMID: 32423500 DOI: 10.1017/thg.2020.37] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The extended twin model is a unique design in the genetic epidemiology toolbox that allows to simultaneously estimate multiple causes of variation such as genetic and cultural transmission, genotype-environment covariance and assortative mating, among others. Nick Martin has played a key role in the conception of the model, the collection of substantially large data sets to test the model, the application of the model to a range of phenotypes, the publication of the results including cross-cultural comparisons, the evaluation of bias and power of the design and the further elaborations of the model, such as the children-of-twins design.
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29
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Cheesman R, Coleman J, Rayner C, Purves KL, Morneau-Vaillancourt G, Glanville K, Choi SW, Breen G, Eley TC. Familial Influences on Neuroticism and Education in the UK Biobank. Behav Genet 2020; 50:84-93. [PMID: 31802328 PMCID: PMC7028797 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-019-09984-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Genome-wide studies often exclude family members, even though they are a valuable source of information. We identified parent-offspring pairs, siblings and couples in the UK Biobank and implemented a family-based DNA-derived heritability method to capture additional genetic effects and multiple sources of environmental influence on neuroticism and years of education. Compared to estimates from unrelated individuals, total heritability increased from 10 to 27% and from 17 to 56% for neuroticism and education respectively by including family-based genetic effects. We detected no family environmental influences on neuroticism. The couple similarity variance component explained 35% of the variation in years of education, probably reflecting assortative mating. Overall, our genetic and environmental estimates closely replicate previous findings from an independent sample. However, more research is required to dissect contributions to the additional heritability by rare and structural genetic effects, assortative mating, and residual environmental confounding. The latter is especially relevant for years of education, a highly socially contingent variable, for which our heritability estimate is at the upper end of twin estimates in the literature. Family-based genetic effects could be harnessed to improve polygenic prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Cheesman
- Social Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, 16 de Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF, UK.
| | - J Coleman
- Social Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, 16 de Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - C Rayner
- Social Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, 16 de Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - K L Purves
- Social Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, 16 de Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - G Morneau-Vaillancourt
- Research Unit on Child Psychosocial Maladjustment, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada
| | - K Glanville
- Social Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, 16 de Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - S W Choi
- Social Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, 16 de Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - G Breen
- Social Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, 16 de Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - T C Eley
- Social Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, 16 de Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF, UK.
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, London, UK.
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30
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Willems YE, de Zeeuw EL, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Boomsma DI, Bartels M, Finkenauer C. Out of Control: Examining the Association Between Family Conflict and Self-Control in Adolescence in a Genetically Sensitive Design. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2020; 59:254-262. [PMID: 30877048 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2019.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2018] [Revised: 02/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Family conflict is associated with low self-control in adolescence. Thus far research about the direction of this association is inconclusive. In this study, we sort out whether this association reflects a causal effect or whether it is explained by a common underlying cause, including genetic factors. METHOD In twin data, we fitted a series of causal models, and compared models for the association of family conflict and self-control including reciprocal causation, unidirectional causation from family conflict to low self-control, unidirectional causation from low self-control to family conflict, and common genetic susceptibility. We included data from a large sample of twins aged 14 years (N = 9,173), all enrolled in the Netherlands Twin Register. RESULTS The results suggested a unidirectional pathway model in which family conflict leads to low self-control in adolescence, with genetic factors also playing a role in explaining the association. CONCLUSION Adolescents experiencing family conflict are at risk for showing hampered self-control capacities, with family conflict being a robust predictor of low self-control through common genetic factors but also through direct causal influences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yayouk E Willems
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Universiteit Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Eveline L de Zeeuw
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Catharina E M van Beijsterveldt
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Meike Bartels
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Catrin Finkenauer
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Universiteit Utrecht, The Netherlands
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31
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Willems YE, Laceulle OM, Bartels M, Finkenauer C. Investigating the association between family connectedness and self-control in adolescence in a genetically sensitive design. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2020; 29:1683-1692. [PMID: 32025959 PMCID: PMC7641933 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-020-01485-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Family connectedness is key for the development of self-control in early and middle childhood. But is family connectedness still important during the transitional phase of adolescence, when adolescents demand more independence from their parents and rely more on their peers? The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between family connectedness and self-control, and whether it still holds in adolescence using a genetically sensitive design. Data were used from a large sample of twins aged 14 (N = 11,260) and aged 16 (N = 8175), all enrolled in the Netherlands Twin Register. We applied bivariate twin models and monozygotic twin difference models to investigate the association between family connectedness and self-control and to unravel to what extent genetic and environmental factors explain this association. The results showed that more family connectedness is significantly related to better self-control in adolescence, albeit with a small effect size. Twin analyses revealed that this association was mainly explained by common genetic factors and that the effects of environmental factors were small. The current findings confirm the role of family connectedness in adolescent self-control. Importantly, however, the results demonstrate that phenomena we see within families seem the product of parent and children sharing the same genes rather than being exclusively attributable to environmental processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yayouk E Willems
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Boechorststraat 7-9, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Universiteit Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Odilia M Laceulle
- Department of Developmental Psychology, Universiteit Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Meike Bartels
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Boechorststraat 7-9, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Catrin Finkenauer
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Boechorststraat 7-9, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Universiteit Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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32
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Hur YM, Bogl LH, Ordoñana JR, Taylor J, Hart SA, Tuvblad C, Ystrom E, Dalgård C, Skytthe A, Willemsen G. Twin Family Registries Worldwide: An Important Resource for Scientific Research. Twin Res Hum Genet 2019; 22:427-437. [PMID: 31937381 PMCID: PMC7301690 DOI: 10.1017/thg.2019.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Much progress has been made in twin research since our last special issue on twin registries (Hur, Y.-M., & Craig, J. M. (2013). Twin Research and Human Genetics, 16, 1-12.). This special issue provides an update on the state of twin family registries around the world. This issue includes 61 papers on twin family registries from 25 countries, of which 3 describe consortia based on collaborations of several twin family registries. The articles included in this issue discuss the establishment and maintenance of twin registries, recruitment strategies, methods of zygosity assessment, research aims and major findings from twin family cohorts, as well as other important topics related to twin studies. The papers amount to approximately 1.3 million monozygotic, dizygotic twins and higher order multiples and their family members who participate in twin studies around the world. Nine new twin family registries have been established across the world since our last issue, which demonstrates that twin registers are increasingly important in studies of the determinants and correlates of complex traits from disease susceptibility to healthy development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoon-Mi Hur
- Department of Education, Mokpo National University, Jeonnam, South Korea
| | - Leonie H Bogl
- Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Juan R Ordoñana
- Department of Human Anatomy and Psychobiology and Murcia Institute for Biomedical Research (IMIB-ARRIXACA), University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Jeanette Taylor
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Sara A Hart
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Catherine Tuvblad
- School of Law, Psychology and Social Work, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Eivind Ystrom
- PROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Christine Dalgård
- Department of Public Health, Environmental Medicine, and Danish Twin Registry, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Axel Skytthe
- Department of Public Health, and Danish Twin Registry, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Gonneke Willemsen
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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Children of the Twins Early Development Study (CoTEDS): A Children-of-Twins Study. Twin Res Hum Genet 2019; 22:514-522. [PMID: 31496451 DOI: 10.1017/thg.2019.61] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The Children of the Twins Early Development Study (CoTEDS) is a new prospective children-of-twins study in the UK, designed to investigate intergenerational associations across child developmental stages. CoTEDS will enable research on genetic and environmental factors that underpin parent-child associations, with a focus on mental health and cognitive-related traits. Through CoTEDS, we will have a new lens to examine the roles that parents play in influencing child development, as well as the genetic and environmental factors that shape parenting behavior and experiences. Recruitment is ongoing from the sample of approximately 20,000 contactable adult twins who have been enrolled in the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS) since infancy. TEDS twins are invited to register all offspring to CoTEDS at birth, with 554 children registered as of May 2019. By recruiting the second generation of TEDS participants, CoTEDS will include information on adult twins and their offspring from infancy. Parent questionnaire-based data collection is now underway for 1- and 2-year-old CoTEDS infants, with further waves of data collection planned. Current data collection includes the following primary constructs: child mental health, temperament, language and cognitive development; parent mental health and social relationships; parenting behaviors and feelings; and other socioecological factors. Measurement tools have been selected with reference to existing genetically informative cohort studies to ensure overlap in phenotypes measured at corresponding stages of development. This built-in study overlap is intended to enable replication and triangulation of future analyses across samples and research designs. Here, we summarize study protocols and measurement procedures and describe future plans.
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34
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Hannigan LJ, Eilertsen EM, Gjerde LC, Reichborn-Kjennerud T, Eley TC, Rijsdijk FV, Ystrom E, McAdams TA. Maternal prenatal depressive symptoms and risk for early-life psychopathology in offspring: genetic analyses in the Norwegian Mother and Child Birth Cohort Study. Lancet Psychiatry 2018; 5:808-815. [PMID: 30245187 DOI: 10.1016/s2215-0366(18)30225-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2018] [Revised: 06/01/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maternal prenatal depression is a known risk factor for early-life psychopathology among offspring; however, potential risk transmission mechanisms need to be distinguished. We aimed to test the relative importance of passive genetic transmission, direct exposure, and indirect exposure in the association between maternal prenatal depressive symptoms and early-life internalising and externalising psychopathology in offspring. METHODS We used structural equation modelling of phenotypic data and genetically informative relationships from the families of participants in the Norwegian Mother and Child Birth Cohort Study (MoBa). The analytic subsample of MoBa used in the current study comprises 22 195 mothers and 35 299 children. We used mothers' self-reported depressive symptoms during pregnancy, as captured by the Symptom Checklist, and their reports of symptoms of psychopathology in their offspring during the first few years of life (measured at 18, 36, and 60 months using the Child Behavior Checklist). FINDINGS Maternal prenatal depressive symptoms were found to be associated with early-life psychopathology primarily via intergenerationally shared genetic factors, which explained 41% (95% CI 36-46) of variance in children's internalising problems and 37% (30-44) of variance in children's externalising problems. For internalising problems, phenotypic transmission also contributed significantly, accounting for 14% (95% CI 5-19) of the association, but this contribution was found to be explained by exposure to concurrent maternal depressive symptoms, rather than by direct exposure in utero. INTERPRETATION Associations between maternal prenatal depressive symptoms and offspring behavioural outcomes in early childhood are likely to be at least partially explained by shared genes. This genetic confounding should be considered when attempting to quantify risks posed by in-utero exposure to maternal depressive symptoms. FUNDING UK Economic and Social Research Council, Norwegian Research Council, Norwegian Ministries of Health and Care Services, and Education & Research, Wellcome Trust, Royal Society, and National Institute for Health Research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurie J Hannigan
- Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK; Medical Research Council Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Espen Moen Eilertsen
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Line C Gjerde
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway; Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ted Reichborn-Kjennerud
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway; Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Thalia C Eley
- Medical Research Council Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Fruhling V Rijsdijk
- Medical Research Council Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Eivind Ystrom
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway; Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; School of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Tom A McAdams
- Medical Research Council Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
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