1
|
Bruins S, van Bergen E, Masselink MW, Barzeva SA, Hartman CA, Otten R, Rommelse NNJ, Dolan CV, Boomsma DI. Are Genetic and Environmental Risk Factors for Psychopathology Amplified in Children with Below-Average Intelligence? A Population-Based Twin Study. Behav Genet 2024; 54:278-289. [PMID: 38353893 PMCID: PMC11032279 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-023-10174-7] [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: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
There is a negative association between intelligence and psychopathology. We analyzed data on intelligence and psychopathology to assess this association in seven-year-old Dutch twin pairs (ranging from 616 to 14,150 depending on the phenotype) and estimated the degree to which genetic and environmental factors common to intelligence and psychopathology explain the association. Secondly, we examined whether genetic and environmental effects on psychopathology are moderated by intelligence. We found that intelligence, as assessed by psychometric IQ tests, correlated negatively with childhood psychopathology, as assessed by the DSM-oriented scales of the Child Behavior Check List (CBCL). The correlations ranged between - .09 and - .15 and were mainly explained by common genetic factors. Intelligence moderated genetic and environmental effects on anxiety and negative affect, but not those on ADHD, ODD, and autism. The heritability of anxiety and negative affect was greatest in individuals with below-average intelligence. We discuss mechanisms through which this effect could arise, and we end with some recommendations for future research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Bruins
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Elsje van Bergen
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Research Institute LEARN!, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Maurits W Masselink
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Stefania A Barzeva
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Catharina A Hartman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Roy Otten
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Nanda N J Rommelse
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Karakter Child and Adolescent Psychiatry University Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Conor V Dolan
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Research and Development (AR&D) Research Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Allegrini AG, van Beijsterveldt T, Boomsma DI, Rimfeld K, Pingault J, Plomin R, Bartels M, Nivard MG. Developmental co‐occurrence of psychopathology dimensions in childhood. JCPP ADVANCES 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/jcv2.12100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea G. Allegrini
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience King's College London London UK
- Department of Clinical Educational and Health Psychology Division of Psychology and Language Sciences University College London London UK
| | - Toos van Beijsterveldt
- Department of Biological Psychology Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Amsterdam THE NetherLand Eroupe
| | - Dorret I. Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Amsterdam THE NetherLand Eroupe
- Amsterdam Public Health (APH) Research Institute Amsterdam University Medical Centre Amsterdam THE NetherLand Eroupe
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development (AR&D) Research Institute Amsterdam University Medical Centre Amsterdam THE NetherLand Eroupe
| | - Kaili Rimfeld
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience King's College London London UK
| | - Jean‐Baptiste Pingault
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience King's College London London UK
- Department of Clinical Educational and Health Psychology Division of Psychology and Language Sciences University College London London UK
| | - Robert Plomin
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience King's College London London UK
| | - Meike Bartels
- Department of Biological Psychology Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Amsterdam THE NetherLand Eroupe
- Amsterdam Public Health (APH) Research Institute Amsterdam University Medical Centre Amsterdam THE NetherLand Eroupe
| | - Michel G. Nivard
- Department of Biological Psychology Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Amsterdam THE NetherLand Eroupe
- Amsterdam Public Health (APH) Research Institute Amsterdam University Medical Centre Amsterdam THE NetherLand Eroupe
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Leve LD, Anderson D, Harold GT, Neiderhiser JM, Natsuaki MN, Shaw DS, Ganiban JM, Reiss D. Developmental profiles of child behavior problems from 18 months to 8 years: The protective effects of structured parenting vary by genetic risk. Dev Psychopathol 2022; 34:1-15. [PMID: 35929354 PMCID: PMC9899296 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579422000839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Some children are more affected by specific family environments than others, as a function of differences in their genetic make-up. However, longitudinal studies of genetic moderation of parenting effects during early childhood have not been conducted. We examined developmental profiles of child behavior problems between 18 months and age 8 in a longitudinal parent-offspring sample of 361 adopted children. In toddlerhood (18 months), observed structured parenting indexed parental guidance in service of task goals. Biological parent psychopathology served as an index of genetic influences on children's behavior problems. Four profiles of child behavior problems were identified: low stable (11%), average stable (50%), higher stable (29%), and high increasing (11%). A multinominal logistic regression analysis indicated a genetically moderated effect of structured parenting, such that for children whose biological mother had higher psychopathology, the odds of the child being in the low stable group increased as structured parenting increased. Conversely, for children whose biological mother had lower psychopathology, the odds of being in the low stable group was reduced when structured parenting increased. Results suggest that increasing structured parenting is an effective strategy for children at higher genetic risk for psychopathology, but may be detrimental for those at lower genetic risk.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Leslie D. Leve
- Prevention Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Daniel Anderson
- Behavioral Research and Teaching, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
- Always Be Learning, Inc, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Jenae M. Neiderhiser
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Misaki N. Natsuaki
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Daniel S. Shaw
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Jody M. Ganiban
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - David Reiss
- Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Vermeulen MC, van der Heijden KB, Kocevska D, Treur JL, Huppertz C, van Beijsterveldt CE, Boomsma DI, Swaab H, Van Someren EJ, Bartels M. Associations of sleep with psychological problems and well-being in adolescence: causality or common genetic predispositions? J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2021; 62:28-39. [PMID: 32396669 PMCID: PMC7818180 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Whereas short and problematic sleep are associated with psychological problems in adolescence, causality remains to be elucidated. This study therefore utilized the discordant monozygotic cotwin design and cross-lagged models to investigate how short and problematic sleep affect psychological functioning. METHODS Adolescent twins (N = 12,803, 13-20 years, 42% male) completed questionnaires on sleep and psychological functioning repeatedly over a two-year interval. Monozygotic twin pairs were classified as concordant or discordant for sleep duration and trouble sleeping. Resulting subgroups were compared regarding internalizing problems, externalizing problems, and subjective well-being. RESULTS Cross-sectional analyses indicated associations of worse psychological functioning with both short sleep and problematic sleep, and cross-lagged models indicate bidirectional associations. Longitudinal analyses showed that an increase in sleep problems experienced selectively by one individual of an identical twin pair was accompanied by an increase of 52% in internalizing problem scores and 25% in externalizing problem scores. These changes were significantly different from the within-subject changes in cotwins with unchanged sleep quality (respectively, 3% increase and 5% decrease). Psychological functioning did, however, not worsen with decreasing sleep duration. CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest that sleep quality, rather than sleep duration, should be the primary target for prevention and intervention, with possible effect on psychological functioning in adolescents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marije C.M. Vermeulen
- Department of Sleep and CognitionNetherlands Institute for Neurosciencean Institute of the Royal Netherlands Society for Arts and SciencesAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Department of Clinical Child and Adolescent StudiesInstitute of Education and Child StudiesLeiden UniversityLeidenThe Netherlands
| | - Kristiaan B. van der Heijden
- Department of Clinical Child and Adolescent StudiesInstitute of Education and Child StudiesLeiden UniversityLeidenThe Netherlands,Leiden Institute for Brain and CognitionLeiden UniversityLeidenThe Netherlands
| | - Desana Kocevska
- Department of Sleep and CognitionNetherlands Institute for Neurosciencean Institute of the Royal Netherlands Society for Arts and SciencesAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Department of Child and Adolescent PsychiatryErasmus Medical CenterRotterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Jorien L. Treur
- Department of Biological PsychologyNetherlands Twin RegisterVU University AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Amsterdam Public Health Research InstituteAmsterdam UMCAmsterdamThe Netherlands,School of Experimental PsychologyUniversity of BristolBristolUK
| | - Charlotte Huppertz
- Department of Biological PsychologyNetherlands Twin RegisterVU University AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Amsterdam Public Health Research InstituteAmsterdam UMCAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and PsychosomaticsFaculty of MedicineRWTH Aachen UniversityAachenGermany
| | - Catharina E.M. van Beijsterveldt
- Department of Biological PsychologyNetherlands Twin RegisterVU University AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Amsterdam Public Health Research InstituteAmsterdam UMCAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Dorret I. Boomsma
- Department of Biological PsychologyNetherlands Twin RegisterVU University AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Amsterdam Public Health Research InstituteAmsterdam UMCAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Amsterdam NeuroscienceAmsterdam UMCAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Hanna Swaab
- Department of Clinical Child and Adolescent StudiesInstitute of Education and Child StudiesLeiden UniversityLeidenThe Netherlands,Leiden Institute for Brain and CognitionLeiden UniversityLeidenThe Netherlands
| | - Eus J.W. Van Someren
- Department of Sleep and CognitionNetherlands Institute for Neurosciencean Institute of the Royal Netherlands Society for Arts and SciencesAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Amsterdam NeuroscienceAmsterdam UMCAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Departments of Psychiatry and Integrative NeurophysiologyCenter for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research (CNCR)Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdam UMCAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Meike Bartels
- Department of Biological PsychologyNetherlands Twin RegisterVU University AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Amsterdam Public Health Research InstituteAmsterdam UMCAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Kevenaar ST, Zondervan-Zwijnenburg MAJ, Blok E, Schmengler H, Fakkel MT, de Zeeuw EL, van Bergen E, Onland-Moret NC, Peeters M, Hillegers MHJ, Boomsma DI, Oldehinkel AJ. Bayesian evidence synthesis in case of multi-cohort datasets: An illustration by multi-informant differences in self-control. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 47:100904. [PMID: 33434882 PMCID: PMC7807202 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The trend toward large-scale collaborative studies gives rise to the challenge of combining data from different sources efficiently. Here, we demonstrate how Bayesian evidence synthesis can be used to quantify and compare support for competing hypotheses and to aggregate this support over studies. We applied this method to study the ordering of multi-informant scores on the ASEBA Self Control Scale (ASCS), employing a multi-cohort design with data from four Dutch cohorts. Self-control reports were collected from mothers, fathers, teachers and children themselves. The available set of reporters differed between cohorts, so in each cohort varying components of the overarching hypotheses were evaluated. We found consistent support for the partial hypothesis that parents reported more self-control problems than teachers. Furthermore, the aggregated results indicate most support for the combined hypothesis that children report most problem behaviors, followed by their mothers and fathers, and that teachers report the fewest problems. However, there was considerable inconsistency across cohorts regarding the rank order of children’s reports. This article illustrates Bayesian evidence synthesis as a method when some of the cohorts only have data to evaluate a partial hypothesis. With Bayesian evidence synthesis, these cohorts can still contribute to the aggregated results.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sofieke T Kevenaar
- Netherlands Twin Register, Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Research Institute LEARN!, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | | | | | - Heiko Schmengler
- Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands; University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | | | - Eveline L de Zeeuw
- Netherlands Twin Register, Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Research Institute LEARN!, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Elsje van Bergen
- Netherlands Twin Register, Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Research Institute LEARN!, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - N Charlotte Onland-Moret
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | | | | | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Netherlands Twin Register, Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Albertine J Oldehinkel
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Fakkel M, Peeters M, Lugtig P, Zondervan-Zwijnenburg MAJ, Blok E, White T, van der Meulen M, Kevenaar ST, Willemsen G, Bartels M, Boomsma DI, Schmengler H, Branje S, Vollebergh WAM. Testing sampling bias in estimates of adolescent social competence and behavioral control. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 46:100872. [PMID: 33142133 PMCID: PMC7642800 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
In 5 of the 6 large Dutch developmental cohorts investigated here, lower SES adolescents are underrepresented and higher SES adolescents overrepresented. With former studies clearly revealing differences between SES strata in adolescent social competence and behavioral control, this misrepresentation may contribute to an overestimation of normative adolescent competence. Using a raking procedure, we used national census statistics to weigh the cohorts to be more representative of the Dutch population. Contrary to our expectations, in all cohorts, little to no differences between SES strata were found in the two outcomes. Accordingly, no differences between weighted and unweighted mean scores were observed across all cohorts. Furthermore, no clear change in correlations between social competence and behavioral control was found. These findings are most probably explained by the fact that measures of SES in the samples were quite limited, and the low SES participants in the cohorts could not be considered as representative of the low SES groups in the general population. Developmental outcomes associated with SES may be affected by a raking procedure in other cohorts that have a sufficient number and sufficient variation of low SES adolescents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M Fakkel
- Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - M Peeters
- Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - P Lugtig
- Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | | | - E Blok
- Erasmus Universiteit, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - T White
- Erasmus Universiteit, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - S T Kevenaar
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - G Willemsen
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - M Bartels
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - D I Boomsma
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - H Schmengler
- Erasmus Universiteit, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - S Branje
- Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Zondervan-Zwijnenburg MAJ, Richards JS, Kevenaar ST, Becht AI, Hoijtink HJA, Oldehinkel AJ, Branje S, Meeus W, Boomsma DI. Robust longitudinal multi-cohort results: The development of self-control during adolescence. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 45:100817. [PMID: 32799116 PMCID: PMC7451800 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Revised: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Longitudinal data from multiple cohorts may be analyzed by Bayesian research synthesis. Here, we illustrate this approach by investigating the development of self-control between age 13 and 19 and the role of sex therein in a multi-cohort, longitudinal design. Three Dutch cohorts supplied data: the Netherlands Twin Register (NTR; N = 21,079), Research on Adolescent Development and Relationships-Young (RADAR-Y; N = 497), and Tracking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS; N = 2229). Self-control was assessed by one measure in NTR and RADAR-Y, and three measures in TRAILS. In each cohort, we evaluated evidence for competing informative hypotheses regarding the development of self-control. Subsequently, we aggregated this evidence over cohorts and measures to arrive at a robust conclusion that was supported by all cohorts and measures. We found robust evidence for the hypothesis that on average self-control increases during adolescence (i.e., maturation) and that individuals with lower initial self-control often experience a steeper increase in self-control (i.e., a pattern of recovery). From self-report, boys have higher initial self-control levels at age 13 than girls, whereas parents report higher self-control for girls.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - J S Richards
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - S T Kevenaar
- Netherlands Twin Register, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - A I Becht
- Department of Youth & Family, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - H J A Hoijtink
- Department of Methodology & Statistics, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - A J Oldehinkel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - S Branje
- Department of Youth & Family, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - W Meeus
- Department of Youth & Family, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - D I Boomsma
- Netherlands Twin Register, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
The Netherlands Twin Register: Longitudinal Research Based on Twin and Twin-Family Designs. Twin Res Hum Genet 2019; 22:623-636. [PMID: 31666148 DOI: 10.1017/thg.2019.93] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The Netherlands Twin Register (NTR) is a national register in which twins, multiples and their parents, siblings, spouses and other family members participate. Here we describe the NTR resources that were created from more than 30 years of data collections; the development and maintenance of the newly developed database systems, and the possibilities these resources create for future research. Since the early 1980s, the NTR has enrolled around 120,000 twins and a roughly equal number of their relatives. The majority of twin families have participated in survey studies, and subsamples took part in biomaterial collection (e.g., DNA) and dedicated projects, for example, for neuropsychological, biomarker and behavioral traits. The recruitment into the NTR is all inclusive without any restrictions on enrollment. These resources - the longitudinal phenotyping, the extended pedigree structures and the multigeneration genotyping - allow for future twin-family research that will contribute to gene discovery, causality modeling, and studies of genetic and cultural inheritance.
Collapse
|
9
|
Malanchini M, Smith-Woolley E, Ayorech Z, Rimfeld K, Krapohl E, Vuoksimaa E, Korhonen T, Bartels M, van Beijsterveldt TC, Rose RJ, Lundström S, Anckarsäter H, Kaprio J, Lichtenstein P, Boomsma DI, Plomin R. Aggressive behaviour in childhood and adolescence: the role of smoking during pregnancy, evidence from four twin cohorts in the EU-ACTION consortium. Psychol Med 2019; 49:646-654. [PMID: 29886849 PMCID: PMC6378412 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291718001344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2017] [Revised: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maternal smoking during pregnancy (MSDP) has been linked to offspring's externalizing problems. It has been argued that socio-demographic factors (e.g. maternal age and education), co-occurring environmental risk factors, or pleiotropic genetic effects may account for the association between MSDP and later outcomes. This study provides a comprehensive investigation of the association between MSDP and a single harmonized component of externalizing: aggressive behaviour, measured throughout childhood and adolescence. METHODS Data came from four prospective twin cohorts - Twins Early Development Study, Netherlands Twin Register, Childhood and Adolescent Twin Study of Sweden, and FinnTwin12 study - who collaborate in the EU-ACTION consortium. Data from 30 708 unrelated individuals were analysed. Based on item level data, a harmonized measure of aggression was created at ages 9-10; 12; 14-15 and 16-18. RESULTS MSDP predicted aggression in childhood and adolescence. A meta-analysis across the four samples found the independent effect of MSDP to be 0.4% (r = 0.066), this remained consistent when analyses were performed separately by sex. All other perinatal factors combined explained 1.1% of the variance in aggression across all ages and samples (r = 0.112). Paternal smoking and aggressive parenting strategies did not account for the MSDP-aggression association, consistent with the hypothesis of a small direct link between MSDP and aggression. CONCLUSIONS Perinatal factors, including MSDP, account for a small portion of the variance in aggression in childhood and adolescence. Later experiences may play a greater role in shaping adolescents' aggressive behaviour.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Margherita Malanchini
- Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, United States
| | - Emily Smith-Woolley
- Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, United Kingdom
| | - Ziada Ayorech
- Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, United Kingdom
| | - Kaili Rimfeld
- Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, United Kingdom
| | - Eva Krapohl
- Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, United Kingdom
| | - Eero Vuoksimaa
- Institute for Molecular Medicine FIMM, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tellervo Korhonen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine FIMM, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Meike Bartels
- Department of Biological Psychology, Netherlands Twin Register, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Richard J. Rose
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, United States
| | - Sebastian Lundström
- Centre for Ethics, Law and Mental Health and the Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, Gothenburg University, Sweden
| | - Henrik Anckarsäter
- Centre for Ethics, Law and Mental Health and the Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, Gothenburg University, Sweden
| | - Jaakko Kaprio
- Institute for Molecular Medicine FIMM, University of Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Paul Lichtenstein
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
| | - Dorret I. Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, Netherlands Twin Register, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Robert Plomin
- Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
de Zeeuw EL, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Hoekstra RA, Bartels M, Boomsma DI. The etiology of autistic traits in preschoolers: a population-based twin study. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2017; 58:893-901. [PMID: 28524230 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are highly heritable, but the exact etiological mechanisms underlying the condition are still unclear. METHODS Using a multiple rater twin design in a large sample of general population preschool twins, this study aimed to (a) estimate the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to autistic traits, controlling for the possible effects of rater bias, (b) to explore possible sex differences in etiology and (c) to investigate the discordance in autistic traits in monozygotic and same-sex dizygotic twin pairs. The Netherlands Twin Register collected maternal and paternal ratings on autistic traits from a general population of 38,798 three-year-old twins. Autistic traits were assessed with the DSM-oriented Pervasive Developmental Problems scale of the Child Behavior Check List for preschoolers (1½-5 years). RESULTS Mother and fathers showed high agreement in their assessment of autistic traits (r = .60-.66). Differences between children in autistic traits were largely accounted for by genetic effects (boys: 78% and girls: 83%). Environmental effects that are unique to a child also played a modest role. Environmental effects shared by children growing up in the same family were negligible, once rater bias was controlled for. While the prevalence for clinical ASD is higher in boys than in girls, this study did not find evidence for striking differences in the etiology of autistic traits across the sexes. Even though the heritability was high, 29% of MZ twin pairs were discordant for high autistic traits (clinical range vs. normal development), suggesting that despite high genetic risk, environmental factors might lead to resilience, unaffected status in the context of genetic risk, in some children. CONCLUSIONS It is important to focus future research on risk factors that might interplay with a genetic disposition for ASD, but also on protective factors that make a difference in the lives of children at genetic risk.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eveline L de Zeeuw
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.,Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, VUmc, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Catharina E M van Beijsterveldt
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.,Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, VUmc, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Rosa A Hoekstra
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College, London, UK
| | - Meike Bartels
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.,Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, VUmc, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.,Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, VUmc, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Flessner CA, Murphy YE, Brennan E, D'Auria A. The Parenting Anxious Kids Ratings Scale-Parent Report (PAKRS-PR): Initial Scale Development and Psychometric Properties. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 2017; 48:651-667. [PMID: 27770232 DOI: 10.1007/s10578-016-0688-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Developmental models of pediatric anxiety posit multiple, maladaptive parenting behaviors as potential risk factors. Despite this, a standardized means of assessing multiple of these practices (i.e., anxiogenic parenting) in a comprehensive and efficient manner are lacking. In Study 1531 parents of children 7-17 years old completed an online survey via Amazon Mechanical Turk. In Study 2, a separate community sample (N = 109; 9-17 years old) was recruited and completed a comprehensive assessment battery as part of a larger study. All parents (Study 1 and 2 samples) completed the Parenting Anxious Kids Ratings Scale-Parent Report (PAKRS-PR), a measurement tool designed to assess anxiogenic parenting. Factor analysis conducted as part of Study 1 revealed a 32-item scale consisting of five factors: conflict, overinvolvement, accommodation/beliefs, modeling, and emotional warmth/support. Four of these factors were significantly correlated with parent-report of anxiety severity. Within Study 2, the parents of children diagnosed with an anxiety or related disorder reported significantly higher levels of anxiogenic parenting practices as compared to the parents of healthy controls. The PAKRS-PR and respective subscales demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity in both the internet (Study 1) and community (Study 2) samples. The PAKRS-PR may be a beneficial multidimensional parenting scale for use among anxious youths.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Yolanda E Murphy
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA
| | - Elle Brennan
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA
| | - Alexandra D'Auria
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
de Zeeuw EL, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Ehli EA, de Geus EJC, Boomsma DI. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms and Low Educational Achievement: Evidence Supporting A Causal Hypothesis. Behav Genet 2017; 47:278-289. [PMID: 28191586 PMCID: PMC5403868 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-017-9836-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2015] [Accepted: 01/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and educational achievement are negatively associated in children. Here we test the hypothesis that there is a direct causal effect of ADHD on educational achievement. The causal effect is tested in a genetically sensitive design to exclude the possibility of confounding by a third factor (e.g. genetic pleiotropy) and by comparing educational achievement and secondary school career in children with ADHD who take or do not take methylphenidate. Data on ADHD symptoms, educational achievement and methylphenidate usage were available in a primary school sample of ~10,000 12-year-old twins from the Netherlands Twin Register. A substantial group also had longitudinal data at ages 7-12 years. ADHD symptoms were cross-sectionally and longitudinally, associated with lower educational achievement at age 12. More ADHD symptoms predicted a lower-level future secondary school career at age 14-16. In both the cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, testing the direct causal effect of ADHD on educational achievement, while controlling for genetic and environmental factors, revealed an association between ADHD symptoms and educational achievement independent of genetic and environmental pleiotropy. These findings were confirmed in MZ twin intra-pair differences models, twins with more ADHD symptoms scored lower on educational achievement than their co-twins. Furthermore, children with ADHD medication, scored significantly higher on the educational achievement test than children with ADHD who did not use medication. Taken together, the results are consistent with a direct causal effect of ADHD on educational achievement.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eveline L de Zeeuw
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Amsterdam Public Health research institute, VU Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Catharina E M van Beijsterveldt
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health research institute, VU Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Erik A Ehli
- Avera Institute for Human Genetics, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
| | - Eco J C de Geus
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health research institute, VU Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health research institute, VU Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Hannigan LJ, McAdams TA, Plomin R, Eley TC. Etiological Influences on Perceptions of Parenting: A Longitudinal, Multi-Informant Twin Study. J Youth Adolesc 2016; 45:2387-2405. [PMID: 26815663 PMCID: PMC5101284 DOI: 10.1007/s10964-016-0419-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2015] [Accepted: 01/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Children and their parents often differ in their perception of the relationship they share. As this relationship changes developmentally, the nature of these differences may also change. Longitudinal genetic designs can be used to investigate the developmental etiologies of shared and distinct perceptions. In this study, we used longitudinal psychometric models to analyze child and parent reports of negative parenting for 6417 twin pairs from the Twins Early Development Study at ages 9, 12 and 14 years. Within-time cross-reporter correlations, indicating the degree to which children and parents perceived negative parenting behaviors similarly at each age, were moderate (r = .44 - .46). Longitudinal genetic analyses revealed these shared perceptions to be relatively stable during the transition into adolescence, with this stability driven by a combination of children's genetic factors and family-wide environmental factors. In contrast, child- and parent-specific perceptions of parenting were predominantly age-specific, a developmental pattern underpinned by child genetic factors and a combination of family-wide and unique environmental influences. These results and their implications are discussed in the context of interplay between reciprocal interactions, subjective insight and developmental behavioral change in the parent-child relationship.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laurie J. Hannigan
- Medical Research Council, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF UK
| | - Tom A. McAdams
- Medical Research Council, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF UK
| | - Robert Plomin
- Medical Research Council, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF UK
| | - Thalia C. Eley
- Medical Research Council, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF UK
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Fedko IO, Wesseldijk LW, Nivard MG, Hottenga JJ, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Middeldorp CM, Bartels M, Boomsma DI. Heritability of Behavioral Problems in 7-Year Olds Based on Shared and Unique Aspects of Parental Views. Behav Genet 2016; 47:152-163. [PMID: 27796610 PMCID: PMC5306273 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-016-9823-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 10/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In studies of child psychopathology, phenotypes of interest are often obtained by parental ratings. When behavioral ratings are obtained in the context of a twin study, this allows for the decomposition of the phenotypic variance, into a genetic and a non-genetic part. If a phenotype is assessed by a single rater, heritability is based on the child’s behavior as expressed in the presence of that particular rater, whereas heritability based on assessments by multiple raters allows for the estimation of the heritability of the phenotype based on rater agreement, as well as the heritability of the rater specific view of the behavior. The aim of this twin study was to quantify the rater common and rater specific contributions to the variation in children’s behavioral problems. We estimated the heritability of maternal and paternal ratings of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) 6–18 empirical emotional and behavioral problem scales in a large sample of 12,310 7-year old Dutch twin pairs. Between 30 and 59% of variation in the part of the phenotype parents agree upon was explained by genetic effects. Common environmental effects that make children in the same family similar explained less variance, ranging between 0 and 32%. For unique views of their children’s behavioral problems, heritability ranged between 0 and 20% for maternal and between 0 and 22% for paternal views. Between 7 and 24% of the variance was accounted for by common environmental factors specific to mother and father’s views. The proportion of rater shared and rater specific heritability can be translated into genetic correlations between parental views and inform the design and interpretation of results of molecular genetic studies. Genetic correlations were nearly or above 0.7 for all CBCL based psychopathology scales. Such large genetic correlations suggest two practical guidelines for genome-wide association studies (GWAS): when studies have collected data from either fathers or mothers, the shared genetic aetiology in parental ratings indicates that is possible to analyze paternal and maternal assessments in a single GWAS or meta-analysis. Secondly, if a study has collected information from both parents, a gain in statistical power may be realized in GWAS by the simultaneous analysis of the data.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Iryna O Fedko
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Laura W Wesseldijk
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Michel G Nivard
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jouke-Jan Hottenga
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Catharina E M van Beijsterveldt
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Christel M Middeldorp
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, GGZ inGeest/VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Meike Bartels
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Dolan CV, Geels L, Vink JM, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Neale MC, Bartels M, Boomsma DI. Testing Causal Effects of Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy on Offspring's Externalizing and Internalizing Behavior. Behav Genet 2016; 46:378-88. [PMID: 26324285 PMCID: PMC4826626 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-015-9738-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2015] [Accepted: 08/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Maternal smoking during pregnancy (SDP) is associated with increased risk of externalizing and internalizing behaviors in offspring. Two explanations (not mutually exclusive) for this association are direct causal effects of maternal SDP and the effects of genetic and environmental factors common to parents and offspring which increase smoking as well as problem behaviors. Here, we examined the associations between parental SDP and mother rated offspring externalizing and internalizing behaviors (rated by the Child Behavior Checklist/2-3) at age three in a population-based sample of Dutch twins (N = 15,228 pairs). First, as a greater effect of maternal than of paternal SDP is consistent with a causal effect of maternal SDP, we compared the effects of maternal and paternal SDP. Second, as a beneficial effect of quitting smoking before pregnancy is consistent with the causal effect, we compared the effects of SDP in mothers who quit smoking before pregnancy, and mothers who continued to smoke during pregnancy. All mothers were established smokers before their pregnancy. The results indicated a greater effect of maternal SDP, compared to paternal SDP, for externalizing, aggression, overactive and withdrawn behavior. Quitting smoking was associated with less externalizing, overactive behavior, aggression, and oppositional behavior, but had no effect on internalizing, anxious depression, or withdrawn behavior. We conclude that these results are consistent with a causal, but small, effect of smoking on externalizing problems at age 3. The results do not support a causal effect of maternal SDP on internalizing behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C V Dolan
- Department of Biological Psychology, Netherlands Twin Register, VU University Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - L Geels
- Department of Biological Psychology, Netherlands Twin Register, VU University Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - J M Vink
- Department of Biological Psychology, Netherlands Twin Register, VU University Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - C E M van Beijsterveldt
- Department of Biological Psychology, Netherlands Twin Register, VU University Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - M C Neale
- Department of Biological Psychology, Netherlands Twin Register, VU University Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - M Bartels
- Department of Biological Psychology, Netherlands Twin Register, VU University Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, Netherlands Twin Register, VU University Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
de Zeeuw EL, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Glasner TJ, de Geus EJC, Boomsma DI. Arithmetic, reading and writing performance has a strong genetic component: A study in primary school children. LEARNING AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2016; 47:156-166. [PMID: 27182184 DOI: 10.1016/j.lindif.2016.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Even children attending the same primary school and taught by the same teacher differ greatly in their performance. In the Netherlands, performance at the end of primary school determines the enrollment in a particular level of secondary education. Identifying the impact of genes and the environment on individual differences in educational achievement between children is important. The Netherlands Twin Register has collected data on scores of tests used in primary school (ages 6 to 12) to monitor a child's educational progress in four domains, i.e. arithmetic, word reading, reading comprehension and spelling (1058 MZ and 1734 DZ twin pairs), and of a final test (2451 MZ and 4569 DZ twin pairs) in a large Dutch cohort. In general, individual differences in educational achievement were to a large extent due to genes and the influence of the family environment was negligible. Moreover, there is no evidence for gender differences in the underlying etiology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eveline L de Zeeuw
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Tina J Glasner
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Eco J C de Geus
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Evidence for Gender-Dependent Genotype by Environment Interaction in Adult Depression. Behav Genet 2015; 46:59-71. [PMID: 26468114 PMCID: PMC4718953 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-015-9752-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2015] [Accepted: 09/22/2015] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Depression in adults is heritable with about 40 % of the phenotypic variance due to additive genetic effects and the remaining phenotypic variance due to unique (unshared) environmental effects. Common environmental effects shared by family members are rarely found in adults. One possible explanation for this finding is that there is an interaction between genes and the environment which may mask effects of the common environment. To test this hypothesis, we investigated genotype by environment interaction in a large sample of female and male adult twins aged 18-70 years. The anxious depression subscale of the Adult Self Report from the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (Achenbach and Rescorla in Manual for the ASEBA adult: forms and profiles, 2003) was completed by 13,022 twins who participate in longitudinal studies of the Netherlands Twin Register. In a single group analysis, we found genotype by unique environment interaction, but no genotype by common environment interaction. However, when conditioning on gender, we observed genotype by common environment interaction in men, with larger common environmental variance in men who are genetically less at risk to develop depression. Although the effect size of the interaction is characterized by large uncertainty, the results show that there is at least some variance due to the common environment in adult depression in men.
Collapse
|
18
|
Hansell NK, Halford GS, Andrews G, Shum DHK, Harris SE, Davies G, Franic S, Christoforou A, Zietsch B, Painter J, Medland SE, Ehli EA, Davies GE, Steen VM, Lundervold AJ, Reinvang I, Montgomery GW, Espeseth T, Hulshoff Pol HE, Starr JM, Martin NG, Le Hellard S, Boomsma DI, Deary IJ, Wright MJ. Genetic basis of a cognitive complexity metric. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0123886. [PMID: 25860228 PMCID: PMC4393228 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0123886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2014] [Accepted: 02/23/2015] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Relational complexity (RC) is a metric reflecting capacity limitation in relational processing. It plays a crucial role in higher cognitive processes and is an endophenotype for several disorders. However, the genetic underpinnings of complex relational processing have not been investigated. Using the classical twin model, we estimated the heritability of RC and genetic overlap with intelligence (IQ), reasoning, and working memory in a twin and sibling sample aged 15-29 years (N = 787). Further, in an exploratory search for genetic loci contributing to RC, we examined associated genetic markers and genes in our Discovery sample and selected loci for replication in four independent samples (ALSPAC, LBC1936, NTR, NCNG), followed by meta-analysis (N>6500) at the single marker level. Twin modelling showed RC is highly heritable (67%), has considerable genetic overlap with IQ (59%), and is a major component of genetic covariation between reasoning and working memory (72%). At the molecular level, we found preliminary support for four single-marker loci (one in the gene DGKB), and at a gene-based level for the NPS gene, having influence on cognition. These results indicate that genetic sources influencing relational processing are a key component of the genetic architecture of broader cognitive abilities. Further, they suggest a genetic cascade, whereby genetic factors influencing capacity limitation in relational processing have a flow-on effect to more complex cognitive traits, including reasoning and working memory, and ultimately, IQ.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Narelle K. Hansell
- Neuroimaging Genetics, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
- * E-mail:
| | - Graeme S. Halford
- School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Mt Gravatt Campus, Brisbane, Australia
- Behavioural Basis of Health Program, Griffith Health Institute and School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Glenda Andrews
- Behavioural Basis of Health Program, Griffith Health Institute and School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
- School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Southport, Australia
| | - David H. K. Shum
- Behavioural Basis of Health Program, Griffith Health Institute and School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Sarah E. Harris
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Gail Davies
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Sanja Franic
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Andrea Christoforou
- K.G. Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research and the Norwegian Center for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Dr Einar Martens Research Group for Biological Psychiatry, Center for Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Brendan Zietsch
- Genetic Epidemiology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Jodie Painter
- Molecular Genetic Epidemiology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Sarah E. Medland
- Quantitative Genetics, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Erik A. Ehli
- Avera Institute for Human Genetics, Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States of America
| | - Gareth E. Davies
- Avera Institute for Human Genetics, Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States of America
| | - Vidar M. Steen
- K.G. Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research and the Norwegian Center for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Dr Einar Martens Research Group for Biological Psychiatry, Center for Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Astri J. Lundervold
- K.G. Jebsen Center for Research on Neuropsychiatric Disorders, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Center for Research on Aging and Dementia, Haraldsplass Deaconess Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Ivar Reinvang
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Grant W. Montgomery
- Molecular Epidemiology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Thomas Espeseth
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Norwegian Center for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT) and the K.G. Jebsen Center for Psychosis Research, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Hilleke E. Hulshoff Pol
- Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - John M. Starr
- Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Research Centre, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas G. Martin
- Genetic Epidemiology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Stephanie Le Hellard
- K.G. Jebsen Centre for Psychosis Research and the Norwegian Center for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Dr Einar Martens Research Group for Biological Psychiatry, Center for Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Dorret I. Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ian J. Deary
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Margaret J. Wright
- Neuroimaging Genetics, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Nivard MG, Dolan CV, Kendler KS, Kan KJ, Willemsen G, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Lindauer RJL, van Beek JHDA, Geels LM, Bartels M, Middeldorp CM, Boomsma DI. Stability in symptoms of anxiety and depression as a function of genotype and environment: a longitudinal twin study from ages 3 to 63 years. Psychol Med 2015; 45:1039-1049. [PMID: 25187475 DOI: 10.1017/s003329171400213x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The influence of genetic factors on major depressive disorder is lower than on other psychiatric disorders. Heritability estimates mainly derive from cross-sectional studies, and knowledge on the longitudinal aetiology of symptoms of anxiety and depression (SxAnxDep) across the lifespan is limited. We aimed to assess phenotypic, genetic and environmental stability in SxAnxDep between ages 3 and 63 years. METHOD We used a cohort-sequential design combining data from 49 524 twins followed from birth to age ⩾20 years, and from adolescence into adulthood. SxAnxDep were assessed repeatedly with a maximum of eight assessments over a 25-year period. Data were ordered in 30 age groups and analysed with longitudinal genetic models. RESULTS Over age, there was a significant increase during adolescence in mean scores with sex differences (women>men) emerging. Heritability was high in childhood and decreased to 30-40% during adulthood. This decrease in heritability was due to an increase in environmental variance. Phenotypic stability was moderate in children (correlations across ages ~0.5) and high in adolescents (r = 0.6), young adults (r = 0.7), and adults (r = 0.8). Longitudinal stability was mostly attributable to genetic factors. During childhood and adolescence there was also significant genetic innovation, which was absent in adults. Environmental effects contributed to short-term stability. CONCLUSIONS The substantial stability in SxAnxDep is mainly due to genetic effects. The importance of environmental effects increases with age and explains the relatively low heritability of depression in adults. The environmental effects are transient, but the contribution to stability increases with age.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M G Nivard
- Department of Biological Psychology,VU University Amsterdam,The Netherlands
| | - C V Dolan
- Department of Biological Psychology,VU University Amsterdam,The Netherlands
| | - K S Kendler
- Departments of Psychiatry and Human and Molecular Genetics,Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University,USA
| | - K J Kan
- Department of Biological Psychology,VU University Amsterdam,The Netherlands
| | - G Willemsen
- Department of Biological Psychology,VU University Amsterdam,The Netherlands
| | | | - R J L Lindauer
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,Amsterdam Medical Center,Amsterdam,The Netherlands
| | - J H D A van Beek
- Department of Biological Psychology,VU University Amsterdam,The Netherlands
| | - L M Geels
- Department of Biological Psychology,VU University Amsterdam,The Netherlands
| | - M Bartels
- Department of Biological Psychology,VU University Amsterdam,The Netherlands
| | - C M Middeldorp
- Department of Biological Psychology,VU University Amsterdam,The Netherlands
| | - D I Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology,VU University Amsterdam,The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
González-Tapia MI, Obsuth I. "Bad genes" & criminal responsibility. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LAW AND PSYCHIATRY 2015; 39:60-71. [PMID: 25708001 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijlp.2015.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The genetics of the accused is trying to break into the courts. To date several candidate genes have been put forward and their links to antisocial behavior have been examined and documented with some consistency. In this paper, we focus on the so called "warrior gene", or the low-activity allele of the MAOA gene, which has been most consistently related to human behavior and specifically to violence and antisocial behavior. In preparing this paper we had two objectives. First, to summarize and analyze the current scientific evidence, in order to gain an in depth understanding of the state of the issue and determine whether a dominant line of generally accepted scientific knowledge in this field can be asserted. Second, to derive conclusions and put forward recommendations related to the use of genetic information, specifically the presence of the low-activity genotype of the MAOA gene, in modulation of criminal responsibility in European and US courts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ingrid Obsuth
- Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Middeldorp CM, Lamb DJ, Vink JM, Bartels M, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Boomsma DI. Child care, socio-economic status and problem behavior: a study of gene-environment interaction in young Dutch twins. Behav Genet 2014; 44:314-25. [PMID: 24878694 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-014-9660-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2013] [Accepted: 04/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The influences of formal child care before age 4 on behavioral problems at 3, 5, and 7 years of age were assessed in 18,932 Dutch twins (3,878 attended formal child care). The effect of formal child care was studied on the average level of problem behavior and as moderator of genetic and non-genetic influences, while taking into account effects of sex and parental socio-economic status (SES). There was a small association between attending formal child care and higher externalizing problems, especially when SES was low. Heritability was lower for formal child care and in lower SES conditions. These effects were largest at age 7 and for externalizing problems. In 7 year-old boys and girls, the difference in heritability between the formal child care group of low SES and the home care group of high SES was 30% for externalizing and ~20% for internalizing problems. The decrease in heritability was explained by a larger influence of the environment, rather than by a decrease in genetic variance. These results support a bioecological model in which heritability is lower in circumstances associated with more problem behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christel M Middeldorp
- Netherlands Twin Register, Department Biological Psychology, VU University, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands,
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
22
|
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.
Collapse
|
23
|
Chou KL, Cacioppo JT, Kumari M, Song YQ. Influence of social environment on loneliness in older adults: Moderation by polymorphism in the CRHR1. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 2014; 22:510-8. [PMID: 23933425 DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2012.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2011] [Revised: 09/19/2012] [Accepted: 11/01/2012] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Both adverse social environments and genetic factors contribute to loneliness in old age. Mixed findings between older adults' social relations with their children and their levels of loneliness suggested that a gene × social environment interaction may be operating. We examine whether the effects of infrequent contact with children and low levels of perceived social support from children on loneliness in older adults are moderated by two candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (i.e., rs1876831 and rs242938) in the corticotrophin releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1) gene. DESIGN This was a longitudinal observational study. SETTING and PARTICIPANTS A population-based sub-sample of 1,374 community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years and older was examined from both the 2003-2004 and 2006-2007 English Longitudinal Study of Aging assessments. MEASUREMENTS Our main outcome measure is loneliness, which was assessed by four items extracted from the ULCA loneliness scale. RESULTS Compared with older adults carrying the CT/TT genotypes, individuals homozygous for the C allele of rs1876831 reported higher levels of loneliness in the context of infrequent social contact with children and lower levels of perceived social support from children. No gene × social environment interactions were found for loneliness between rs242938 and an adverse social environment related to children. CONCLUSIONS This study provides the first evidence in humans that the CRHR1 gene interacts with exposure to a negative social environment to predict loneliness in older adults.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kee-Lee Chou
- Department of Asian & Policy Studies, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong, SAR.
| | - John T Cacioppo
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Meena Kumari
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Y Q Song
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Franić S, Dolan CV, Borsboom D, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Boomsma DI. Three-and-a-half-factor model? The genetic and environmental structure of the CBCL/6-18 internalizing grouping. Behav Genet 2013; 44:254-68. [PMID: 24196978 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-013-9628-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2013] [Accepted: 10/24/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
In the present article, multivariate genetic item analyses were employed to address questions regarding the ontology and the genetic and environmental etiology of the Anxious/Depressed, Withdrawn, and Somatic Complaints syndrome dimensions of the Internalizing grouping of the Child Behavior Checklist/6-18 (CBCL/6-18). Using common and independent pathway genetic factor modeling, it was examined whether these syndrome dimensions can be ascribed a realist ontology. Subsequently, the structures of the genetic and environmental influences giving rise to the observed symptom covariation were examined. Maternal ratings of a population-based sample of 17,511 Dutch twins of mean age 7.4 (SD = 0.4) on the items of the Internalizing grouping of the Dutch CBCL/6-18 were analyzed. Applications of common and independent pathway modeling demonstrated that the Internalizing syndrome dimensions may be better understood as a composite of unconstrained genetic and environmental influences than as causally relevant entities generating the observed symptom covariation. Furthermore, the results indicate a common genetic basis for anxiety, depression, and withdrawn behavior, with the distinction between these syndromes being driven by the individual-specific environment. Implications for the substantive interpretation of these syndrome dimensions are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sanja Franić
- Department of Biological Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Education, VU University Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands,
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
25
|
Genetic and Environmental Influences on Individual Differences in Sleep Duration During Adolescence. Twin Res Hum Genet 2013; 16:1015-25. [DOI: 10.1017/thg.2013.74] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
This study assessed to what extent genetic and environmental factors contributed to individual differences in adolescent sleep duration, and whether genetic and environmental contributions to sleep duration changed throughout adolescence. A twin-family design was used to gain insight into the genetic and environmental contributions to variation in sleep duration. The study sample consisted of 6,319 adolescent twins (44% males) and 1,359 non-twin siblings (44% males) in the age range of 12 to 20 years (mean age = 16.85,SD= 1.40). The participants self-reported usual sleep duration, which was categorized as less than 8 hours per night, 8–9 hours per night, and more than 9 hours per night. Results showed that the prevalence of shorter than optimum sleep duration, that is, less than 8 hours per night, was high, with the highest prevalence rates in later adolescence. The contribution of genetic and environmental factors to individual differences in sleep duration was dependent on age. Variation in sleep duration at the age of 12 years was accounted for by genetic (boys: 34%, girls: 36%), shared environmental (boys: 28%, girls: 45%), and non-shared environmental factors (boys: 38%, girls: 19%). At the age of 20 years, the role of genetic (boys: 47%, girls: 33%) and non-shared environmental factors (boys: 53%, girls: 67%) was more pronounced. It can be concluded from the results that individual differences in sleep duration were accounted for by genetic and non-shared environmental factors throughout adolescence, whereas shared environmental factors account for a substantial part of variation during early adolescence only.
Collapse
|
26
|
Exploring the association between well-being and psychopathology in adolescents. Behav Genet 2013; 43:177-90. [PMID: 23471543 PMCID: PMC3897864 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-013-9589-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2012] [Accepted: 02/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Promotion of mental well-being and prevention of emotional and behavioral problems are suggested to go hand in hand. The present study examined the association between subjective well-being (SWB) and psychopathology and investigated the etiology of this association in a large population-based cohort study of adolescent twins (n = 9,136) and their non-twin siblings (n = 1,474) aged 12–20 years. Phenotypic, genetic, and environmental correlations between SWB and psychopathology were obtained from multivariate genetic modeling conditional on sex. An SWB factor score was used based on measures of subjective happiness, satisfaction with life, and quality of life. Psychopathology was obtained from all syndrome and broad-band scales of the Dutch version of the ASEBA Youth Self Report. Males reported significantly higher levels of SWB than females. Females reported significantly more internalizing problems while males report significantly higher levels of externalizing behavior. In both sexes, significant negative associations were found between SWB and psychopathology, with the strongest associations seen for SWB and the YSR syndrome scale anxious/depression behavior. The observed associations were primarily explained by genetic correlations while non-shared environmental influences were mainly domain specific. The genetic liability to lower levels of SWB are indicative of a genetic liability to higher levels of psychopathology, suggesting that it might be feasible to screen for emotional and behavioral problems before clear signs are present by screening on indices of subjective well-being.
Collapse
|
27
|
Kuny AV, Althoff RR, Copeland W, Bartels M, Van Beijsterveldt CEM, Baer J, Hudziak JJ. Separating the domains of oppositional behavior: comparing latent models of the conners' oppositional subscale. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2013; 52:172-183.e8. [PMID: 23357444 PMCID: PMC3558689 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2012.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2011] [Revised: 08/21/2012] [Accepted: 10/09/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Although oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is usually considered the mildest of the disruptive behavior disorders, it is a key factor in predicting young adult anxiety and depression and is distinguishable from normal childhood behavior. In an effort to understand possible subsets of oppositional defiant behavior (ODB) that may differentially predict outcome, we used latent class analysis of mother report on the Conners' Parent Rating Scales Revised Short Forms (CPRS-R:S). METHOD Data were obtained from mother report for Dutch twins (7 years old, n = 7,597; 10 years old, n = 6,548; and 12 years old, n = 5,717) from the Netherlands Twin Registry. Samples partially overlapped at ages 7 and 10 years (19% overlapping) and at ages 10 and 12 years (30% overlapping), but not at ages 7 and 12 years. Oppositional defiant behavior was measured using the six-item Oppositional subscale of the CPRS-R:S. Multilevel LCA with robust standard error estimates was performed using the Latent Gold program to control for twin-twin dependence in the data. Class assignment across ages was determined and an estimate of heritability for each class was calculated. Comparisons with maternal report Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores were examined using linear mixed models at each age, corrected for multiple comparisons. RESULTS The LCA identified an optimal solution of four classes across age groups. Class 1 was associated with no or low symptom endorsement (69-75% of the children); class 2 was characterized by defiance (11-12%); class 3 was characterized by irritability (9-11%); and class 4 was associated with elevated scores on all symptoms (5-8%). Odds ratios for twins being in the same class at each successive age point were higher within classes across ages than between classes. Heritability within the two "intermediate" classes was nearly as high as for the class with all symptoms, except for boys at age 12. Children in the Irritable class were more likely to have mood symptoms on the CBCL scales than children in the Defiant class but demonstrated similar scores on aggression and externalizing scales. Children in the All Symptoms class were higher in both internalizing and externalizing scales and subscales. CONCLUSIONS The LCA indicates four distinct latent classes of oppositional defiant behavior, in which the distinguishing feature between the two intermediate classes (classes 2 and 3) is the level of irritability and defiance. Implications for the longitudinal course of these symptoms, association with other disorders, and genetics are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ana V Kuny
- Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families at the University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05401, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
28
|
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.
Collapse
|
29
|
Yamagata S, Takahashi Y, Ozaki K, Fujisawa KK, Nonaka K, Ando J. Bidirectional influences between maternal parenting and children's peer problems: a longitudinal monozygotic twin difference study. Dev Sci 2012; 16:249-259. [PMID: 23432834 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2011] [Accepted: 09/13/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
This twin study examined the bidirectional relationship between maternal parenting behaviors and children's peer problems that were not confounded by genetic and family environmental factors. Mothers of 259 monozygotic twin pairs reported parenting behaviors and peer problems when twins were 42 and 48 months. Path analyses on monozygotic twin difference scores revealed that authoritative parenting (the presence of consistent discipline and lack of harsh parenting) and peer problems simultaneously influenced each other. Authoritative parenting reduced peer problems, and peer problems increased authoritative parenting. Neither consistent discipline nor harsh parenting alone was associated with peer problems. These results suggest that maternal authoritative parenting works protectively in regard to children's peer problems, and peer problems can evoke such effective parenting.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shinji Yamagata
- National Center for University Entrance Examinations, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yusuke Takahashi
- Center for the Promotion of Excellence in Higher Education, Kyoto University, Japan
| | - Koken Ozaki
- Department of Data Science, The Institute of Statistical Mathematics, Japan
| | - Keiko K Fujisawa
- Department of Education, Faculty of Letters, Keio University, Japan
| | - Koichi Nonaka
- Department of Human and Environmental Well-Being, Wako University, Japan
| | - Juko Ando
- Department of Education, Faculty of Letters, Keio University, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Vink JM, Bartels M, van Beijsterveldt TCEM, van Dongen J, van Beek JHDA, Distel MA, de Moor MHM, Smit DJA, Minica CC, Ligthart L, Geels LM, Abdellaoui A, Middeldorp CM, Hottenga JJ, Willemsen G, de Geus EJC, Boomsma DI. Sex differences in genetic architecture of complex phenotypes? PLoS One 2012; 7:e47371. [PMID: 23272036 PMCID: PMC3525575 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0047371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2012] [Accepted: 09/11/2012] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
We examined sex differences in familial resemblance for a broad range of behavioral, psychiatric and health related phenotypes (122 complex traits) in children and adults. There is a renewed interest in the importance of genotype by sex interaction in, for example, genome-wide association (GWA) studies of complex phenotypes. If different genes play a role across sex, GWA studies should consider the effect of genetic variants separately in men and women, which affects statistical power. Twin and family studies offer an opportunity to compare resemblance between opposite-sex family members to the resemblance between same-sex relatives, thereby presenting a test of quantitative and qualitative sex differences in the genetic architecture of complex traits. We analyzed data on lifestyle, personality, psychiatric disorder, health, growth, development and metabolic traits in dizygotic (DZ) same-sex and opposite-sex twins, as these siblings are perfectly matched for age and prenatal exposures. Sample size varied from slightly over 300 subjects for measures of brain function such as EEG power to over 30,000 subjects for childhood psychopathology and birth weight. For most phenotypes, sample sizes were large, with an average sample size of 9027 individuals. By testing whether the resemblance in DZ opposite-sex pairs is the same as in DZ same-sex pairs, we obtain evidence for genetic qualitative sex-differences in the genetic architecture of complex traits for 4% of phenotypes. We conclude that for most traits that were examined, the current evidence is that same the genes are operating in men and women.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline M Vink
- Netherlands Twin Register, Department of Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
31
|
Genetic Variation at the TPH2 Gene Influences Impulsivity in Addition to Eating Disorders. Behav Genet 2012; 43:24-33. [DOI: 10.1007/s10519-012-9569-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2012] [Accepted: 11/28/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
|
32
|
Externalizing problems, attention regulation, and household chaos: a longitudinal behavioral genetic study. Dev Psychopathol 2012; 24:755-69. [PMID: 22781853 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579412000351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Previous research documented a robust link between difficulties in self-regulation and development of externalizing problems (i.e., aggression and delinquency). In this study, we examined the longitudinal additive and interactive genetic and environmental covariation underlying this well-established link using a twin design. The sample included 131 pairs of monozygotic twins and 173 pairs of same-sex dizygotic twins who participated in three waves of annual assessment. Mothers and fathers provided reports of externalizing problems. Teacher report and observer rating were used to assess twin's attention regulation. The etiology underlying the link between externalizing problems and attention regulation shifted from a common genetic mechanism to a common environmental mechanism in the transition across middle childhood. Household chaos moderated the genetic variance of and covariance between externalizing problems and attention regulation. The genetic influence on individual differences in both externalizing problems and attention regulation was stronger in more chaotic households. However, higher levels of household chaos attenuated the genetic link between externalizing problems and attention regulation.
Collapse
|
33
|
Geels LM, Groen-Blokhuis MM, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Vink JM, Middeldorp CM, Bartels M, Nelson KA, Huizenga PE, Davies GE, Boomsma DI. Maternal prenatal smoking and offspring emotional problems: no moderating effect of maternal or child 5-HTTLPR genotype. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2012; 159B:1009-12. [PMID: 23090877 PMCID: PMC3547620 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2012] [Accepted: 10/02/2012] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lot M Geels
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands;
,EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Maria M Groen-Blokhuis
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands;
,EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Jacqueline M Vink
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands;
,Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Christel M Middeldorp
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands;
,Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands;
,Department of child and adolescent psychiatry, GGZ inGeest / VU medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Meike Bartels
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands;
,Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands;
,EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Kelly A Nelson
- Avera Institute for Human Genetics, Avera Behavioral Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
| | - Patricia E Huizenga
- Avera Institute for Human Genetics, Avera Behavioral Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
| | - Gareth E Davies
- Avera Institute for Human Genetics, Avera Behavioral Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
| | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands;
,Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands;
,EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
The Young Netherlands Twin Register (YNTR): longitudinal twin and family studies in over 70,000 children. Twin Res Hum Genet 2012. [PMID: 23186620 DOI: 10.1017/thg.2012.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The Netherlands Twin Register (NTR) began in 1987 with data collection in twins and their families, including families with newborn twins and triplets. Twenty-five years later, the NTR has collected at least one survey for 70,784 children, born after 1985. For the majority of twins, longitudinal data collection has been done by age-specific surveys. Shortly after giving birth, mothers receive a first survey with items on pregnancy and birth. At age 2, a survey on growth and achievement of milestones is sent. At ages 3, 7, 9/10, and 12 parents and teachers receive a series of surveys that are targeted at the development of emotional and behavior problems. From age 14 years onward, adolescent twins and their siblings report on their behavior problems, health, and lifestyle. When the twins are 18 years and older, parents are also invited to take part in survey studies. In sub-groups of different ages, in-depth phenotyping was done for IQ, electroencephalography , MRI, growth, hormones, neuropsychological assessments, and cardiovascular measures. DNA and biological samples have also been collected and large numbers of twin pairs and parents have been genotyped for zygosity by either micro-satellites or sets of short nucleotide polymorphisms and repeat polymorphisms in candidate genes. Subject recruitment and data collection is still ongoing and the longitudinal database is growing. Data collection by record linkage in the Netherlands is beginning and we expect these combined longitudinal data to provide increased insights into the genetic etiology of development of mental and physical health in children and adolescents.
Collapse
|
35
|
The Beijing Twin Study (BeTwiSt): a longitudinal study of child and adolescent development. Twin Res Hum Genet 2012. [PMID: 23177327 DOI: 10.1017/thg.2012.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Rates of emotional and behavioral problems among children and adolescents in China are increasing and represent a major public health concern. To investigate the etiology of such problems, including the effects and interplay of genes and environment, the Beijing Twin Study (BeTwiSt) was established. A representative sample of adolescent twins in Beijing (N = 1,387 pairs of adolescent twins, mostly between the ages of 10 and 18 years) was recruited and assessed longitudinally. Data collection included the following: emotional and behavioral problems (e.g., depressive symptoms, anxiety, delinquency, drinking, and smoking); family, peer, and school environments; stress; social and academic competence; cognitive traits (e.g., emotion suppression, rumination, and effortful control); and saliva samples for DNA genotyping and sequencing. The combination of quantitative and molecular genetic approaches and the timeliness of the project, with the sample residing in a region with a rapidly changing economic and cultural climate, are particular strengths of this study. Findings from this study are expected to help understanding of the etiological mechanisms underlying child and adolescent normal and abnormal development in regions undergoing substantial social, cultural, and economic changes.
Collapse
|
36
|
Huppertz C, Bartels M, Van Beijsterveldt CEM, Boomsma DI, Hudziak JJ, De Geus EJC. Effect of shared environmental factors on exercise behavior from age 7 to 12 years. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2012; 44:2025-32. [PMID: 22617397 PMCID: PMC3445777 DOI: 10.1249/mss.0b013e31825d358e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to investigate the relative influence of genetic and environmental factors on children's leisure time exercise behavior through the classic twin design. METHODS Data were taken from The Netherlands Twin Register. The twins were 7 (n = 3966 subjects), 10 (n = 3562), and 12-yr-olds (n = 8687), with longitudinal data for 27% of the sample. Parents were asked to indicate the children's regular participation in leisure time exercise activities, including frequency and duration. Resemblance between monozygotic and dizygotic twins for weekly MET-hours spent on exercise activities was analyzed as a function of their genetic relatedness. RESULTS Average weekly MET-hours increased with age for both boys (age 7 yr: 14.0 (SD = 11.8); age 10 yr: 22.6 (SD = 18.7); age 12 yr: 28.4 (SD = 24.9)) and girls (age 7 yr: 9.7 (SD = 9.5); age 10 yr: 15.3 (SD = 15.1); age 12 yr: 19.3 (SD = 19.8)). Around 13% of boys and girls across all age groups did not participate in any regular leisure time exercise activities. Tracking of exercise behavior from age 7 to 12 yr was modest (0.168 < r < 0.534). For boys, genetic effects accounted for 24% (confidence interval, 18%-30%) of the variance at age 7 yr, 66% (53%-81%) at age 10 yr, and 38% (32%-46%) at age 12 yr. For girls, this was 22% (15%-30%), 16% (9%-24%), and 36% (30%-43%), respectively. Environmental influences shared by children from the same family explained 71%, 25%, and 50% of the variance in boys (age 7, 10, and 12 yr) and 67%, 72%, and 53% in girls. The shared environment influencing exercise behavior was partially different between boys and girls. CONCLUSION Our results stress the important role of shared environment for exercise behavior in young children.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Huppertz
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
37
|
Abstract
With the desire to assess genetic variation across the lifespan in large-scale collaborative projects, one question is whether inference of copy number (CN) is sensitive to the source of material for deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analysis (e.g., blood and buccal) and another question is whether CN is stable as individual sage. Here, we address these questions by applying Affymetrix 6.0 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)micro-arrays to 1,472 DNA samples from 710 individuals from the Netherlands Twin Register, including twin and non-twin individuals (372 with buccal and blood derived DNA and 388 with longitudinal data).Similar concordance for CN and genotype inference between samples from the same individual [or from the monozygotic (MZ) co-twins] was found for blood and buccal tissues. There was a small but statistically significant decrease in across-tissue concordance compared with concordance of samples from the same tissue type. No temporal effect was seen on CN variation from the 388 individuals sampled at two time points ranging from 1 to 12 years apart. The majority of our individuals were sampled at age younger than 20 years. Genotype concordance was very high (~ > 99%) between co-twins from 43 MZ pairs. For75 dizygotic (DZ) pairs, ~was ~65%. CN estimates were highly consistent between co-twins from MZ pairs for both deletions (f?2 ~ 90%) and duplications (~ ~ 86%). For DZ, these were similar for within-individual comparisons, but naturally lower between co-twins (~ ~ 50-60%). These results suggest that DNA from buccal samples perform as well as DNA from blood samples on the current generation of micro-array technologies.
Collapse
|
38
|
Brain SCALE: brain structure and cognition: an adolescent longitudinal twin study into the genetic etiology of individual differences. Twin Res Hum Genet 2012; 15:453-67. [PMID: 22856378 DOI: 10.1017/thg.2012.4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
From childhood into adolescence, the child's brain undergoes considerable changes in both structure and function. Twin studies are of great value to explore to what extent genetic and environmental factors explain individual differences in brain development and cognition. In The Netherlands, we initiated a longitudinal study in which twins, their siblings and their parents are assessed at three year intervals. The participants were recruited from The Netherlands Twin Register (NTR) and at baseline consisted of 112 families, with 9-year-old twins and an older sibling. Three years later, 89 families returned for follow-up assessment. Data collection included psychometric IQ tests, a comprehensive neuropsychological testing protocol, and parental and self-ratings of behavioral and emotional problems. Physical maturation was measured through assessment of Tanner stages. Hormonal levels (cortisol, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, testosterone, and estrogens) were assessed in urine and saliva. Brain scans were acquired using 1.5 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), which provided volumetric measures and measures of cortical thickness. Buccal swabs were collected for DNA isolation for future candidate gene and genome-wide analysis studies. This article gives an overview of the study and the main findings. Participants will return for a third assessment when the twins are around 16 years old. Longitudinal twin-sibling studies that map brain development and cognitive function at well-defined ages aid in the understanding of genetic influences on normative brain development.
Collapse
|
39
|
Bartels M, van Weegen FI, van Beijsterveldt CE, Carlier M, Polderman TJ, Hoekstra RA, Boomsma DI. The five factor model of personality and intelligence: A twin study on the relationship between the two constructs. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2012.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
|
40
|
Mook-Kanamori DO, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Steegers EAP, Aulchenko YS, Raat H, Hofman A, Eilers PH, Boomsma DI, Jaddoe VWV. Heritability estimates of body size in fetal life and early childhood. PLoS One 2012; 7:e39901. [PMID: 22848364 PMCID: PMC3405108 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0039901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2012] [Accepted: 05/29/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The objective was to estimate the heritability for height and weight during fetal life and early childhood in two independent studies, one including parent and singleton offsprings and one of mono- and dizygotic twins. Methods This study was embedded in the Generation R Study (n = 3407, singletons) and the Netherlands Twin Register (n = 33694, twins). For the heritability estimates in Generation R, regression models as proposed by Galton were used. In the Twin Register we used genetic structural equation modelling. Parental height and weight were measured and fetal growth characteristics (femur length and estimated fetal weight) were measured by ultrasounds in 2nd and 3rd trimester (Generation R only). Height and weight were assessed at multiple time-points from birth to 36 months in both studies. Results Heritability estimates for length increased from 2nd to 3rd trimester from 13% to 28%. At birth, heritability estimates for length in singletons and twins were both 26% and 27%, respectively, and at 36 months, the estimates for height were 63% and 72%, respectively. Heritability estimates for fetal weight increased from 2nd to 3rd trimester from 17% to 27%. For birth weight, heritability estimates were 26% in singletons and 29% in twins. At 36 months, the estimate for twins was 71% and higher than for singletons (42%). Conclusions Heritability estimates for height and weight increase from second trimester to infancy. This increase in heritability is observed in singletons and twins. Longer follow-up studies are needed to examine how the heritability develops in later childhood and puberty.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dennis O. Mook-Kanamori
- The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Weil Cornell Medical College – Qatar, Doha, Qatar
| | | | - Eric A. P. Steegers
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Yurii S. Aulchenko
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hein Raat
- Department of Public Health, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Albert Hofman
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Paul H. Eilers
- Department of Biostatistics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Dorret I. Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Vincent W. V. Jaddoe
- The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Tharner A, Luijk MPCM, van Ijzendoorn MH, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, Jaddoe VWV, Hofman A, Verhulst FC, Tiemeier H. Maternal lifetime history of depression and depressive symptoms in the prenatal and early postnatal period do not predict infant-mother attachment quality in a large, population-based Dutch cohort study. Attach Hum Dev 2012; 14:63-81. [PMID: 22191607 DOI: 10.1080/14616734.2012.636659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
We examined the effects of maternal history of depressive disorder and the effects of depressive symptoms during pregnancy and the early postpartum period on attachment insecurity and disorganization. A total of 627 mother-infant dyads from the Generation R Study participated in a population-based cohort from fetal life onwards. Maternal history of depression was assessed by diagnostic interviews during pregnancy; maternal peri- and postnatal depressive symptoms were assessed with questionnaires in 506 of these women at 20 weeks pregnancy and two months postpartum; and infant-mother attachment security was observed when infants were aged 14 months. A history of maternal depressive disorder, regardless of severity or psychiatric comorbidity, was not associated with an increased risk of infant attachment insecurity or disorganization. Likewise, maternal peri- and postnatal depressive symptoms were not related to attachment insecurity or disorganization at 14 months. These results are important because mothers from otherwise low risk backgrounds often have previously been depressed or are struggling with non-clinical depressive symptoms during pregnancy and after giving birth. Our findings are discussed in terms of protective factors that may limit the potentially negative effects of maternal depressive symptoms on the infant-mother attachment relationship in the general population. The role of selective attrition and lack of information about the mothers' attachment status for the current null-findings are also discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anne Tharner
- The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
42
|
Geels LM, Bartels M, van Beijsterveldt TCEM, Willemsen G, van der Aa N, Boomsma DI, Vink JM. Trends in adolescent alcohol use: effects of age, sex and cohort on prevalence and heritability. Addiction 2012; 107:518-27. [PMID: 21831193 DOI: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2011.03612.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
AIMS To determine the effect of age, sex and cohort on the prevalence and genetic architecture of adolescent alcohol use (AAU). DESIGN Survey study in participants registered with the Netherlands Twin Register. SETTING Twins from the general population. PARTICIPANTS Two cohorts (data collected in 1993 and 2005-08) of twins aged 13-15, 16-17 and 18-21 years. In 1993 and 2005-08 a total of 3269 and 8207 twins, respectively, took part. MEASUREMENTS Survey data on initiation and frequency of alcohol use and quantity of alcohol consumed. FINDINGS The prevalence of alcohol initiation increased between 1993 and 2005-08 for both males and females. The largest difference was for girls observed at ages 13-15, where the prevalence increased from 59.5% to 72.4%. We also found increases in prevalence across cohorts for quantity of alcohol consumed and non-significant increases for frequency of alcohol use. From age 16 onwards, boys drank more frequently and larger quantities than girls. Genetic model fitting revealed that the genetic architecture of AAU did not differ between birth cohorts, nor were there differences between boys and girls. Genetic factors explained between 21% and 55% of individual differences in alcohol measures throughout adolescence. Shared environment explained between 17% and 64% of variance in alcohol use, across different age groups and alcohol measures. CONCLUSIONS In the Netherlands, the prevalence of alcohol initiation, frequency and quantity has increased in adolescents over a 15-year period, but there are no changes in the genetic architecture of adolescent alcohol use.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lot M Geels
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
43
|
Estourgie-van Burk GF, Bartels M, Delemarre-van de Waal HA, Boomsma DI. Heritability of Testis Size. Twin Res Hum Genet 2012; 12:351-5. [DOI: 10.1375/twin.12.4.351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
AbstractTestis size is an important feature of male pubertal development. The genetic and environmental contributions to variation in human testis size have hardly been studied. We estimated the heritability of human testicular size in a group of mono- and dizygotic twins and their non-twin brothers (145 twins and 20 brothers from 95 families). Participants were 18 years old on average and all had reached Tanner development stage 4 or higher. Dizygotic twins and their siblings had a larger mean testis volume than monozygotic twins and their siblings. There was significant familial resemblance, with higher correlations in monozygotic twin pairs (0.59) than in dizygotic twin and sibling pairs (0.34). Heritability was estimated at 59% (95% CI = 37–75%), but a model that excluded genetic influences and attributed all familial resemblance to shared environment, fitted the data only marginally worse. The finding of larger mean testis volume in dizygotic twins may be of interest for future research into the mechanisms underlying dizygotic twinning.
Collapse
|
44
|
Abdellaoui A, Bartels M, Hudziak JJ, Rizzu P, van Beijsterveldt TCEM, Boomsma DI. Genetic Influences on Thought Problems in 7-Year-Olds: A Twin-Study of Genetic, Environmental and Rater Effects. Twin Res Hum Genet 2012; 11:571-8. [DOI: 10.1375/twin.11.6.571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe Thought–Problem scale (TP) of the CBCL assesses symptoms such as hallucinations and strange thoughts/behaviors and has been associated with other behavioral disorders. This study uses parental reports to examine the etiology of variation in TP, about which relatively little is known, in 7-year-old twins. Parental ratings on TP were collected in 8,962 7-year-old twin pairs. Because the distribution of TP scores was highly skewed scores were categorized into 3 classes. The data were analyzed under a threshold liability model with genetic structural equation modeling. Ratings from both parents were simultaneously analyzed to determine the rater agreement phenotype (or common phenotype [TPc]) and the rater specific phenotype [TPs] that represents rater disagreement caused by rater bias, measurement error and/or a unique view of the parents on the child's behavior. Scores on the TP-scale varied as a function of rater (fathers rated fewer problems), sex (boys scored higher) and zygosity (DZ twins scored higher). The TPc explained 67% of the total variance in the parental ratings. Variation in TPc was influenced mainly by the children's genotype (76%). Variance in TPs also showed a contribution of genetic factors (maternal reports: 61%, paternal reports: 65%), indicating that TPs does not only represent rater bias. Shared environmental influences were only found in the TPs. No sex differences in genetic architecture were observed. These results indicate an important contribution of genetic factors to thought problems in children as young as 7 years.
Collapse
|
45
|
Robbers SCC, Bartels M, van Oort FVA, van Beijsterveldt CEM(T, van der Ende J, Verhulst FC, Boomsma DI, Huizink AC. A Twin-Singleton Comparison of Developmental Trajectories of Externalizing and Internalizing Problems in 6- to 12-Year-Old Children. Twin Res Hum Genet 2012; 13:79-87. [DOI: 10.1375/twin.13.1.79] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
AbstractResearch on twin-singleton differences in externalizing and internalizing problems in childhood is largely cross-sectional and yields contrasting results. The goal of this study was to compare developmental trajectories of externalizing and internalizing problems in 6- to 12-year-old twins and singletons. Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) maternal reports of externalizing and internalizing problems were obtained for a sample of 9651 twins from the Netherlands Twin Register and for a representative general population sample of 1351 singletons. Latent growth modeling was applied to estimate growth curves for twins and singletons. Twin-singleton differences in the intercepts and slopes of the growth curves were examined. The developmental trajectories of externalizing problems showed a linear decrease over time, and were not significantly different for twins and singletons. Internalizing problems seem to develop similarly for twins and singletons up to age 9. After this age twins' internalizing symptoms start to decrease in comparison to those of singletons, resulting in less internalizing problems than singletons by the age of 12 years. Our findings confirm the generalizability of twin studies to singleton populations with regard to externalizing problems in middle and late childhood. The generalizability of studies on internalizing problems in early adolescence in twin samples should be addressed with care. Twinship may be a protective factor in the development of internalizing problems during early adolescence.
Collapse
|
46
|
van der Aa N, Boomsma DI, Rebollo-Mesa I, Hudziak JJ, Bartels M. Moderation of Genetic Factors by Parental Divorce in Adolescents' Evaluations of Family Functioning and Subjective Wellbeing. Twin Res Hum Genet 2012; 13:143-62. [DOI: 10.1375/twin.13.2.143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
AbstractAdolescents' evaluations of family functioning may have a significant impact on their subjective well-being and adjustment. The aim of the study was to investigate the degree to which genetic and environmental influences affect variation in evaluations of general family functioning, family conflict, and quality of life and the overlap between them. We assessed whether genetic and environmental influences are moderated by parental divorce by analyzing self-report data from 6,773 adolescent twins and their non-twin siblings. Genetic, shared, and nonshared environmental influences accounted for variation in general family functioning and family conflict, with genetic influences being relatively more important in girls than boys in general family functioning. Genetic and nonshared environmental influences accounted for variation in quality of life, with genetic influences being relatively more important in girls. Evidence was found for interaction between genetic factors and parental divorce: genetic influence on general family functioning was larger in participants from divorced families. The overlap between general family functioning and quality of life, and family conflict and quality of life was accounted for the largest part by genetic effects, with nonshared environmental effects accounting for the remaining part. By examining the data from monozygotic twins, we found evidence for interaction between genotype and nonshared, non-measured, environmental influences on evaluations of general family functioning, family conflict, and quality of life.
Collapse
|
47
|
Langendonk JM, van Beijsterveldt CEM, Brouwer SI, Stroet T, Hudziak JJ, Boomsma DI. Assessment of Motor Milestones in Twins. Twin Res Hum Genet 2012; 10:835-9. [DOI: 10.1375/twin.10.6.835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe aim of this study was to investigate the reliability of obtaining through mailed surveys maternal reports of specific major motor milestones achievement. To accomplish this aim we compared and contrasted mailed survey data and telephone interview data on a series of questions about age at which motor milestones were achieved. We used monthly telephone interviews with mothers of 238 twin pairs, beginning at age 6 months, which ascertained the age at which each specific milestone was met. The contrasting ‘through the mail’ survey was sent after the second birthday of an independent group of children, and included 463 twin pairs. All twins were born between March 2003 and March 2004. Comparisons were made for the following 5 milestones: sitting without support, hands and knees crawling, turning from back to belly, standing without support, and walking without support. There was no difference between the concurrent telephone interviews and the retrospective through the mail survey on any of the landmarks, except ‘standing without support’. From this work we conclude that data on achieving milestones can be reliably obtained through the mail using retrospective surveys when the children are 2 years of age.
Collapse
|
48
|
Bartels M, de Moor MHM, van der Aa N, Boomsma DI, de Geus EJC. Regular exercise, subjective wellbeing, and internalizing problems in adolescence: causality or genetic pleiotropy? Front Genet 2012; 3:4. [PMID: 22303410 PMCID: PMC3261428 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2012.00004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2011] [Accepted: 01/04/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
This study tests in a genetically informative design whether exercise behavior causally influences subjective wellbeing (SWB) and internalizing problems (INT). If exercise causally influences SWB and INT, genetic and environmental factors influencing exercise behavior will also influence SWB and INT. Furthermore, within genetically identical (MZ) twin pairs, the twin who exercises more should also show higher levels of SWB and lower levels of INT, than the co-twin who exercises less, because genetic confounding is excluded. Data on these phenotypes were available in a sample of 6317 adolescent twins and 1180 non-twin-siblings. Most participants had longitudinal data with 2-year follow-up. Exercise behavior was cross-sectionally and longitudinally associated with fewer internalizing problems and increased SWB (correlations ranged from 0.12 to 0.16). Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations were mainly accounted for by genetic factors, whereas the contribution of environmental factors was negligible. Within MZ twin pairs, the twin who exercised more did not show fewer internalizing problems and increased SWB. This was found cross-sectionally and longitudinally. We conclude that exercise behavior is associated with fewer internalizing problems and higher levels of SWB. The association largely reflects the effects of common genetic factors on these traits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Meike Bartels
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
49
|
Robbers S, van Oort F, Huizink A, Verhulst F, van Beijsterveldt C, Boomsma D, Bartels M. Childhood problem behavior and parental divorce: evidence for gene-environment interaction. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2012; 47:1539-48. [PMID: 22241531 PMCID: PMC3438396 DOI: 10.1007/s00127-011-0470-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2011] [Accepted: 12/29/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The importance of genetic and environmental influences on children's behavioral and emotional problems may vary as a function of environmental exposure. We previously reported that 12-year-olds with divorced parents showed more internalizing and externalizing problems than children with married parents, and that externalizing problems in girls precede and predict later parental divorce. The aim of the current study was to investigate as to whether genetic and environmental influences on internalizing and externalizing problems were different for children from divorced versus non-divorced families. METHODS Maternal ratings on internalizing and externalizing problems were collected with the Child Behavior Checklist in 4,592 twin pairs at ages 3 and 12 years, of whom 367 pairs had experienced a parental divorce between these ages. Variance in internalizing and externalizing problems at ages 3 and 12 was analyzed with biometric models in which additive genetic and environmental effects were allowed to depend on parental divorce and sex. A difference in the contribution of genetic and environmental influences between divorced and non-divorced groups would constitute evidence for gene-environment interaction. RESULTS For both pre- and post-divorce internalizing and externalizing problems, the total variances were larger for children from divorced families, which was mainly due to higher environmental variances. As a consequence, heritabilities were lower for children from divorced families, and the relative contributions of environmental influences were higher. CONCLUSIONS Environmental influences become more important in explaining variation in children's problem behaviors in the context of parental divorce.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sylvana Robbers
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus University Medical Center-Sophia, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Floor van Oort
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus University Medical Center-Sophia, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Anja Huizink
- Department of Developmental Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Frank Verhulst
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus University Medical Center-Sophia, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Dorret Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Meike Bartels
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands ,EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Evidence for a causal association of low birth weight and attention problems. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2011; 50:1247-54.e2. [PMID: 22115145 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2011.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2011] [Revised: 08/05/2011] [Accepted: 09/14/2011] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Low birth weight (LBW) is associated with attention problems (AP) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The etiology of this association is unclear. We investigate whether there is a causal influence of birth weight (BW) on AP and whether the BW effect is mediated by catch-up growth (CUG) in low-BW children. METHOD Longitudinal data from >29,000 twins registered with the Netherlands Twin Register with BW ≥1,500 g and gestational age (GA) ≥32 weeks were analyzed with the cotwin control method. Hyperactivity and AP were assessed at ages 3, 7, 10, and 12 years; weight was assessed at birth and age 2 years. RESULTS Children in the lowest BW category of 1,500 to 2,000 g scored 0.18 to 0.37 standard deviations (SD) higher on AP than children in the reference category of 3,000 to 3,500 g. This effect was present in term-born and preterm-born children. Importantly, in BW discordant monozygotic (MZ), dizygotic (DZ), and unrelated (UR) pairs, the child with the lower BW scored higher on hyperactivity and AP than the child with the higher BW and within-pair differences were similar for MZ, DZ, and UR pairs. This pattern is consistent with a causal effect of BW on AP. MZ and DZ twin pairs concordant for LBW but discordant for CUG showed similar AP scores, thus ruling out any effect of CUG on AP. CONCLUSIONS These results strongly indicate that the association of birth weight and AP represents a causal relationship. The effects of BW are not explained by CUG in LBW children.
Collapse
|