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Kevenaar ST, Dolan CV, Boomsma DI, van Bergen E. Self-control and grit are associated with school performance mainly because of shared genetic effects. JCPP ADVANCES 2023; 3:e12159. [PMID: 37753153 PMCID: PMC10519738 DOI: 10.1002/jcv2.12159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Background By combining the classical twin design with regression analysis, we investigated the role of two non-cognitive factors, self-control and grit, in the prediction of school performance. We did so at the phenotypic, genetic, and environmental level. Methods Teachers filled out a survey on the twins' school performance (school grades for reading, literacy, and math), self-control (ASEBA self-control scale), and grit (the perseverance aspect) for 4891 Dutch 12-years-old twin pairs (3837 pairs with data for both and 1054 pairs with data for one of the twins). We employed regression analyses to first assess the contributions of self-control and grit to school performance at the phenotypic level, and next at the genetic and environmental level, while correcting for rater (teacher) effects, parental SES, and sex. Results Higher SES was associated with better school performance, self-control, and grit. On average, girls had more self-control and grit than boys. Corrected for sex, SES, and teacher rater effects, genetic factors accounted for 74%, 69%, and 58% of the phenotypic variance of school performance, self-control, and grit, respectively. Phenotypically, self-control and grit explained 28.3% of the variance in school performance. We found that this phenotypic result largely reflected genetic influences. Conclusions Children who have better self-control and are grittier tend to do better in school. Individual differences in these three traits are not correlated because of shared environmental influences, but mainly because of shared genetic factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofieke T. Kevenaar
- Department of Biological PsychologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Research Institute LEARN!Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research InstituteAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Conor V. Dolan
- Department of Biological PsychologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Dorret I. Boomsma
- Department of Biological PsychologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research InstituteAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Research InstituteAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Elsje van Bergen
- Department of Biological PsychologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Research Institute LEARN!Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research InstituteAmsterdamThe Netherlands
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2
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Garon-Carrier G, Bégin V, Brendgen M, Vitaro F, Ouellet-Morin I, Dionne G, Boivin M. Classroom Placement and Twins' Social Behaviors in Elementary School: Providing Empirical Evidence to Inform Educational Policy. EDUCATIONAL POLICY (LOS ALTOS, CALIF.) 2022; 36:1850-1875. [PMID: 36159629 PMCID: PMC9493409 DOI: 10.1177/08959048211015626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Classroom placement of twins is an ongoing issue for educational policy. Many educational jurisdictions have standard policy most commonly founded in the belief that separation supports individual identity, personal development and academic opportunity. This study examined the effects of classroom placement in a sample of 560 twin pairs whose behaviors were assessed from ages 5 to 12 years. We found no detrimental effect of classroom sharing on twins' social development. In contrast, this study provides evidence that educating twins together is associated with modest positive twins' behaviors and social functioning at school. Implications for educational policies are further discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mara Brendgen
- Université du Québec à Montréal,
Montreal, QC, Canada
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3
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A Critical Review of Statistical Methods for Twin Studies Relating Exposure to Early Life Health Conditions. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph182312696. [PMID: 34886424 PMCID: PMC8657152 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182312696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 11/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
When investigating disease etiology, twin data provide a unique opportunity to control for confounding and disentangling the role of the human genome and exposome. However, using appropriate statistical methods is fundamental for exploiting such potential. We aimed to critically review the statistical approaches used in twin studies relating exposure to early life health conditions. We searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase (2011–2021). We identified 32 studies and nine classes of methods. Five were conditional approaches (within-pair analyses): additive-common-erratic (ACE) models (11 studies), generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs, five studies), generalized linear models (GLMs) with fixed pair effects (four studies), within-pair difference analyses (three studies), and paired-sample tests (two studies). Four were marginal approaches (unpaired analyses): generalized estimating equations (GEE) models (five studies), GLMs with cluster-robust standard errors (six studies), GLMs (one study), and independent-sample tests (one study). ACE models are suitable for assessing heritability but require adaptations for binary outcomes and repeated measurements. Conditional models can adjust by design for shared confounders, and GLMMs are suitable for repeated measurements. Marginal models may lead to invalid inference. By highlighting the strengths and limitations of commonly applied statistical methods, this review may be helpful for researchers using twin designs.
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4
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Nikstat A, Riemann R. On the etiology of internalizing and externalizing problem behavior: A twin-family study. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0230626. [PMID: 32203544 PMCID: PMC7089526 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Internalizing and externalizing behavior problems are established risk factors for many unpleasant outcomes and psychopathology in adulthood, and understanding the interplay between genes and environment is important for deducing implications for therapeutic interventions. Among genetic studies on internalizing and externalizing problem behavior, the heritability estimates differ widely. Most research only uses twin data and other-reports, and therefore certain limitations are inevitable. Our study is the first to investigate genetic and environmental influences on problem behavior using a Nuclear Twin Family Design and self-reports, in order to address these limitations. Internalizing and externalizing problem behavior of 3,087 twin pairs (age 11–23), a sibling, and their parents were analyzed with structural equation modeling to estimate heritability separately for each of three twin birth cohorts. Genetic influences account for about one-third of the variance for both internalizing and externalizing. Shared environmental influences were only found for internalizing, and through the advantages of considering data from the whole twin family, firstly could be identified as solely twin-specific. Our findings could contribute to a better understanding of the gap between heritability based on twin studies and DNA-based heritability (‘missing heritability problem’): Results indicate that heritability estimates gained via classic twin design and other-reports are slightly overestimated and therefore environmental influences, in general, are more important than previous research suggests. Simultaneously, we showed that family-specific environment either contributes to behavior problems only on an individual level, or that it has a lesser influence than originally thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amelie Nikstat
- Department of Psychology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Rainer Riemann
- Department of Psychology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
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5
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Waszczuk MA, Eaton NR, Krueger RF, Shackman AJ, Waldman ID, Zald DH, Lahey BB, Patrick CJ, Conway CC, Ormel J, Hyman SE, Fried EI, Forbes MK, Docherty AR, Althoff RR, Bach B, Chmielewski M, DeYoung CG, Forbush KT, Hallquist M, Hopwood CJ, Ivanova MY, Jonas KG, Latzman RD, Markon KE, Mullins-Sweatt SN, Pincus AL, Reininghaus U, South SC, Tackett JL, Watson D, Wright AGC, Kotov R. Redefining phenotypes to advance psychiatric genetics: Implications from hierarchical taxonomy of psychopathology. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY 2020; 129:143-161. [PMID: 31804095 PMCID: PMC6980897 DOI: 10.1037/abn0000486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Genetic discovery in psychiatry and clinical psychology is hindered by suboptimal phenotypic definitions. We argue that the hierarchical, dimensional, and data-driven classification system proposed by the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) consortium provides a more effective approach to identifying genes that underlie mental disorders, and to studying psychiatric etiology, than current diagnostic categories. Specifically, genes are expected to operate at different levels of the HiTOP hierarchy, with some highly pleiotropic genes influencing higher order psychopathology (e.g., the general factor), whereas other genes conferring more specific risk for individual spectra (e.g., internalizing), subfactors (e.g., fear disorders), or narrow symptoms (e.g., mood instability). We propose that the HiTOP model aligns well with the current understanding of the higher order genetic structure of psychopathology that has emerged from a large body of family and twin studies. We also discuss the convergence between the HiTOP model and findings from recent molecular studies of psychopathology indicating broad genetic pleiotropy, such as cross-disorder SNP-based shared genetic covariance and polygenic risk scores, and we highlight molecular genetic studies that have successfully redefined phenotypes to enhance precision and statistical power. Finally, we suggest how to integrate a HiTOP approach into future molecular genetic research, including quantitative and hierarchical assessment tools for future data-collection and recommendations concerning phenotypic analyses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Bo Bach
- Centre of Excellence on Personality Disorder
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6
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McLean MA, Cobham VE, Simcock G. Prenatal Maternal Distress: A Risk Factor for Child Anxiety? Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 2019; 21:203-223. [PMID: 29388042 DOI: 10.1007/s10567-017-0251-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The deleterious association between various types of prenatal maternal psychological distress (PNMS, anxiety, depression, psychological distress, stress) and childhood anxiety symptomatology (internalizing behaviors, anxiety symptoms) has been established using both retrospective and prospective longitudinal studies across varied demographic cohorts and throughout development. Yet, the existing literature cannot claim maternal distress during pregnancy to be a specific risk factor for anxiety symptomatology, as studies utilizing such observational designs are unable to adequately account for confounding of potential genetic factors and the postnatal environment. In this review, we examine studies that attempt to minimize such confounding and thus disentangle the unique intrauterine exposure effect of varying types of PNMS on childhood anxiety symptomatology. Such methodologies include paternal versus maternal comparison studies, sibling comparisons, prenatal cross-fostering designs and timing of exposure studies (including disaster studies). Of the identified studies, findings indicate that prenatal maternal distress is likely to constitute a risk factor for anxiety symptomatology, although more studies are needed to replicate current findings in order to determine whether there are clear differences in effects across specific types of PNMS and for specific subpopulations. We review the methodological limitations and strengths of the literature prior to exploring avenues of future research and implications for theory and clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mia A McLean
- Mater Research Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
| | - Vanessa E Cobham
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Gabrielle Simcock
- Mater Research Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
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7
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Talbott E, Karabatsos G, Zurheide JL. Informant similarities, twin studies, and the assessment of externalizing behavior: A meta-analysis. J Sch Psychol 2018; 67:31-55. [PMID: 29571534 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsp.2017.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2015] [Revised: 05/18/2017] [Accepted: 09/22/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine similarity within informant ratings of the externalizing behavior of monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs. To do this, we conducted a meta-analysis of correlations within ratings completed by mothers, fathers, teachers, and youth. We retrieved n=204 correlations for MZ twins and n=267 correlations for DZ twins from n=54 studies containing n=55 samples. Results indicated that all four informants were significant negative predictors of within-informant correlations in their ratings of MZ, but not DZ twins. In the case of longitudinal studies and as the age of MZ twins increased, similarity within ratings by mothers was significantly greater than similarity within ratings by fathers. Among participant characteristics, we found that (a) age was a significant negative predictor of similarity within ratings for MZ twins; (b) race was a significant predictor of similarity within ratings for both MZ and DZ twins, but in the opposite direction; and (c) DZ opposite sex twins were a significant negative predictor of within-rating similarity. Among study characteristics for MZ twins, participant group and longitudinal study were significant negative predictors of within-rating similarity, and for both MZ and DZ twin pairs, non-independence in the data was a significant negative predictor of within-rating similarity. For DZ twins, multiple informants were significant positive predictors of within-rating similarity, and in longitudinal studies with DZ twins, similarity within ratings by mothers was significantly greater than similarity within ratings by fathers, and similarity within ratings by fathers was significantly less than similarity within ratings by teachers and youth. For both MZ and DZ twins, the following study characteristics were significant positive predictors of similarity within ratings: study group, number of time points, and multiple constructs. All four informants appeared equally skilled at predicting within-informant correlations for MZ (but not DZ) twins, with participant characteristics having different predictive effects for MZ compared to DZ twins, and study characteristics having comparable predictive effects for both twin types. Overall, these findings suggest effective discrimination on the part of four informants who rated the externalizing behavior of MZ and DZ twins.
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8
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Cheesman R, Selzam S, Ronald A, Dale PS, McAdams TA, Eley TC, Plomin R. Childhood behaviour problems show the greatest gap between DNA-based and twin heritability. Transl Psychiatry 2017; 7:1284. [PMID: 29234009 PMCID: PMC5802501 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-017-0046-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2017] [Revised: 09/07/2017] [Accepted: 09/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
For most complex traits, DNA-based heritability ('SNP heritability') is roughly half that of twin-based heritability. A previous report from the Twins Early Development Study suggested that this heritability gap is much greater for childhood behaviour problems than for other domains. If true, this finding is important because SNP heritability, not twin heritability, is the ceiling for genome-wide association studies. With twice the sample size as the previous report, we estimated SNP heritabilities (N up to 4653 unrelated individuals) and compared them with twin heritabilities from the same sample (N up to 4724 twin pairs) for diverse domains of childhood behaviour problems as rated by parents, teachers, and children themselves at ages 12 and 16. For 37 behaviour problem measures, the average twin heritability was 0.52, whereas the average SNP heritability was just 0.06. In contrast, results for cognitive and anthropometric traits were more typical (average twin and SNP heritabilities were 0.58 and 0.28, respectively). Future research should continue to investigate the reasons why SNP heritabilities for childhood behaviour problems are so low compared with twin estimates, and find ways to maximise SNP heritability for genome-wide association studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Cheesman
- King's College London, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK.
| | - Saskia Selzam
- King's College London, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK
| | - Angelica Ronald
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
| | - Philip S Dale
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Tom A McAdams
- King's College London, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK
| | - Thalia C Eley
- King's College London, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK
| | - Robert Plomin
- King's College London, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UK
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9
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Yin P, Hou X, Qin Q, Deng W, Hu H, Luo Q, Du L, Qiu H, Qiu T, Fu Y, Meng H, Li T. Genetic and Environmental Influences on the Mental Health of Children: A Twin Study. J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv 2016; 54:29-34. [DOI: 10.3928/02793695-20160725-06] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2016] [Accepted: 04/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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10
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Veroude K, Zhang-James Y, Fernàndez-Castillo N, Bakker MJ, Cormand B, Faraone SV. Genetics of aggressive behavior: An overview. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2016; 171B:3-43. [PMID: 26345359 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2015] [Accepted: 08/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) address three types of aggression: frustrative non-reward, defensive aggression and offensive/proactive aggression. This review sought to present the evidence for genetic underpinnings of aggression and to determine to what degree prior studies have examined phenotypes that fit into the RDoC framework. Although the constructs of defensive and offensive aggression have been widely used in the animal genetics literature, the human literature is mostly agnostic with regard to all the RDoC constructs. We know from twin studies that about half the variance in behavior may be explained by genetic risk factors. This is true for both dimensional, trait-like, measures of aggression and categorical definitions of psychopathology. The non-shared environment seems to have a moderate influence with the effects of shared environment being unclear. Human molecular genetic studies of aggression are in an early stage. The most promising candidates are in the dopaminergic and serotonergic systems along with hormonal regulators. Genome-wide association studies have not yet achieved genome-wide significance, but current samples are too small to detect variants having the small effects one would expect for a complex disorder. The strongest molecular evidence for a genetic basis for aggression comes from animal models comparing aggressive and non-aggressive strains or documenting the effects of gene knockouts. Although we have learned much from these prior studies, future studies should improve the measurement of aggression by using a systematic method of measurement such as that proposed by the RDoC initiative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Veroude
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Yanli Zhang-James
- Departments of Psychiatry and of Neuroscience and Physiology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York.,Departments of Neuroscience and Physiology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York
| | - Noèlia Fernàndez-Castillo
- Departament de Genètica, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Catalonia, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Spain
| | - Mireille J Bakker
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Bru Cormand
- Departament de Genètica, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Catalonia, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Spain
| | - Stephen V Faraone
- Departments of Psychiatry and of Neuroscience and Physiology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York.,Departments of Neuroscience and Physiology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York.,K.G. Jebsen Centre for Research on Neuropsychiatric Disorders, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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11
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de Zeeuw EL, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Lubke GH, Glasner TJ, Boomsma DI. Childhood ODD and ADHD Behavior: The Effect of Classroom Sharing, Gender, Teacher Gender and Their Interactions. Behav Genet 2015; 45:394-408. [PMID: 25711757 PMCID: PMC4458263 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-015-9712-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2014] [Accepted: 01/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
One criterion for a diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-IV) diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is that symptoms are present in at least two settings, and often teacher ratings are taken into account. The short Conners' Teacher Rating Scales-Revised (CTRS-R) is a widely used standardized instrument measuring ODD and ADHD behavior in a school setting. In the current study CTRS-R data were available for 7, 9 and 12-year-old twins from the Netherlands Twin Register. Measurement invariance (MI) across student gender and teacher gender was established for three of the four scales (Oppositional Behavior, Hyperactivity and ADHD Index) of the CTRS-R. The fourth scale (ATT) showed an unacceptable model fit even without constraints on the data and revision of this scale is recommended. Gene-environment (GxE) interaction models revealed that heritability was larger for children sharing a classroom. There were some gender differences in the heritability of ODD and ADHD behavior and there was a moderating effect of teacher's gender at some of the ages. Taken together, this indicates that there was evidence for GxE interaction for classroom sharing, gender of the student and gender of the teacher.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eveline L de Zeeuw
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands,
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12
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Assessing genetic influences on behavior: informant and context dependency as illustrated by the analysis of attention problems. Behav Genet 2014; 44:326-36. [PMID: 24797406 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-014-9657-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2013] [Accepted: 04/04/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Assessment of genetic influences on behavior depends on context, informants, and study design: We show (analytically) that, conditional on study design, informant specific genetic variance is included in the genetic variance component or in the environmental variance component. To aid the explanation, we present an illustrative empirical analysis of data from the Netherlands Twin Register. Subjects included 1,571 monozygotic and 2,672 dizygotic 12-year-old twin pairs whose attention problems (AP) were rated by their parents, teachers, and themselves. Heritability estimates (h(2)) of AP were about ~0.75 for same informant ratings (mother, father, and same teacher ratings) and ~0.54 for different informants' ratings (different parents', different teachers', and two twins' self-ratings). Awareness of assessment effects is relevant to research into psychiatric disorders. Differences in assessment can account for age effects, such as a drop in heritability of ADHD symptoms. In genome-wide association studies, effects of rating specific genetic influences will be undetectable.
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13
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Merwood A, Greven CU, Price TS, Rijsdijk F, Kuntsi J, McLoughlin G, Larsson H, Asherson PJ. Different heritabilities but shared etiological influences for parent, teacher and self-ratings of ADHD symptoms: an adolescent twin study. Psychol Med 2013; 43:1973-1984. [PMID: 23298428 PMCID: PMC3818571 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291712002978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [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 Parent and teacher ratings of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms yield high estimates of heritability whereas self-ratings typically yield lower estimates. To understand why, the present study examined the etiological overlap between parent, teacher and self-ratings of ADHD symptoms in a population-based sample of 11-12-year-old twins. Method Participants were from the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS). ADHD symptoms were assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) hyperactivity scale completed by parents, teachers and children. Structural equation modeling was used to examine genetic and environmental contributions to phenotypic variance/covariance. RESULTS The broad-sense heritability of ADHD symptoms was 82% for parent ratings, 60% for teacher ratings and 48% for self-ratings. Post-hoc analyses revealed significantly higher heritability for same-teacher than different-teacher ratings of ADHD (76% v. 49%). A common pathway model best explained the relationship between different informant ratings, with common genetic influences accounting for 84% of the covariance between parent, teacher and self-rated ADHD symptoms. The remaining variance was explained by rater-specific genetic and non-shared environmental influences. CONCLUSIONS Despite different heritabilities, there were shared genetic influences for parent, teacher and self-ratings of ADHD symptoms, indicating that different informants rated some of the same aspects of behavior. The low heritability estimated for self-ratings and different-teacher ratings may reflect increased measurement error when different informants rate each twin from a pair, and/or greater non-shared environmental influences. Future studies into the genetic influences on ADHD should incorporate informant data in addition to self-ratings to capture a pervasive, heritable component of ADHD symptomatology.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Merwood
- King's College London, MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK.
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14
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Kan KJ, Dolan CV, Nivard MG, Middeldorp CM, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Willemsen G, Boomsma DI. Genetic and environmental stability in attention problems across the lifespan: evidence from the Netherlands twin register. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2013; 52:12-25. [PMID: 23265630 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2012.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2012] [Revised: 09/19/2012] [Accepted: 10/16/2012] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To review findings on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and attention problems (AP) in children, adolescents, and adults, as established in the database of the Netherlands Twin Register and increase the understanding of stability in AP across the lifespan as a function of genetic and environmental influences. METHOD A longitudinal model was fitted on Netherlands Twin Register AP scores from 44,607 child (<12-year-old), adolescent (12- to 18-year-old), and adult (>18-year-old) twins. RESULTS Mean AP showed a downward trend with age. Age-to-age correlations ranged from 0.33 (50-≥60 years old) to 0.73 (10-12 years old). Stability in individual differences in AP was due to genetic and environmental factors, and change was due primarily to environmental factors. Nonadditive genetic influences were present from childhood to adulthood. Total genetic variance decreased slightly throughout aging, whereas environmental variance increased substantially with the switch from maternal to self-ratings at 12 years of age. As a result, heritability coefficients decreased from 0.70 to 0.74 in childhood (maternal ratings) to 0.51 to 0.56 in adolescence (self-ratings), and 0.40 to 0.54 in adulthood (self-ratings). In childhood, male subjects scored higher than female subjects. After the rater switch at 12 years of age, female subjects tended to score higher than male subjects. CONCLUSIONS Stability of AP is the result of genetic and environmental stability. The decrease in estimated heritability at 12 years of age is due to an increase in occasion-specific environmental variance and likely reflects a methodologic effect. Because environmental influences have lasting effects on AP, their early detection is crucial.
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15
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Laucht M, Brandeis D, Zohsel K. Gene-environment interactions in the etiology of human violence. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2013; 17:267-95. [PMID: 24362945 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2013_260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
This chapter reviews the current research on gene-environment interactions (G × E) with regard to human violence. Findings are summarized from both behavioral and molecular genetic studies that have investigated the interplay of genetic and environmental factors in terms of influencing violence-related behavior. Together, these studies reveal promising evidence that genetic factors combine with environmental influences to impact on the development of violent behavior and related phenotypes. G × E have been identified for a number of candidate genes implicated in violence. Moreover, the reviewed G × E were found to extend to a broad range of environmental characteristics, including both adverse and favorable conditions. As has been the case with other G × E research, findings have been mixed, with considerable heterogeneity between studies. Lack of replication together with serious methodological limitations remains a major challenge for drawing definitive conclusions about the nature of violence-related G × E. In order to fulfill its potential, it is recommended that future G × E research needs to shift its focus to dissecting the neural mechanisms and the underlying pathophysiological pathways by which genetic variation may influence differential susceptibility to environmental exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manfred Laucht
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, P.O. Box 122120, 68072, Mannheim, Germany,
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