Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7fkt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T22:51:51.167Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Dominance and Submissiveness Between Twins. II. Consequences for Mental Health

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

Irma Moilanen
Irma Moilanen*
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, University of Oulu, Finland
*
Department of Pediatrics, University of Oulu, SF-90220 Oulu, Finland

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

In a follow-up study of 234 twin pairs, now aged 12-20 yrs, the intertwin relationships were evaluated by the parents and the twins themselves. The dominance-submissiveness aspect was inquired from three separate points of view, physical dominance, psychic dominance, and role of the spokesman. These three different aspects of dominance reflected on the twins' well being and mental health in somewhat different ways. The submissiveness in one area was often compensated by equality or dominance in another area, with only about 10% of adolescents being submissive or dominant in all three areas. According to the parents' reports, the most submissive twins suffered most often from psychosomatic symptoms, and the most dominant ones from nervous symptoms. The twins who themselves reported to be most submissive had most often somatic complaints and scored highest in the Kovacs' Depression Inventory.

Keywords

TwinsDominance-submissivenessSchool AchievementPsychosomatic SymptomsDepressiveness
Type
Research Article
Information
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiae: twin research , Volume 36 , Issue 2 , April 1987 , pp. 257 - 265
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Twin Studies 1987

References

REFERENCES

1.Bruch, H (1969): The insignificant difference. Am J Psychiatry; 126:85–90.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2.Kovacs, M. (1980): Rating scales to assess depression in school-aged children. Acta Paedopsychiatr 46:305–315.Google Scholar
3.Kringlen, E (1967): Heredity and Environment in the Functional Psychoses. An Epidemiological-Clinical Twin Study. Oslo: University Press.Google Scholar
4.Moilanen, I (1979): To be born as a twin-Risks and sequelae. Thesis. Acta Universitatis Ouluensis D 50; 6.Google Scholar
5.Moilanen, I (1987): Dominance and submissiveness between twins. I. Perinatal and developmental aspects. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 36:249–255.Google Scholar
6.Moilanen, I, Seitamo, L, Uhari, M (1985): Anorexia nervosa in twins. Psychiatria Fennica 16:63–71.Google Scholar
7.Schieids, J (1968): Summary of the genetic evidence. In: Rosenthal, D and Ketty, SS (eds): Transmission of Schizophrenia. London: Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
8.Tienari, P (1963): Psychiatric illnesses in identical twins. Acta Psychiatr Scand, Suppl 171.Google Scholar
9.Tienari, P (1966): On intrapair differences in male twins. Acta Psychiatr Scand, Suppl 188.Google Scholar
10.Torgersen, S (1985): Hereditary and environmental factors in the development of moderately severe and mild psychiatric disorders. Thesis. Dept Psychiatry, University of Oslo.Google Scholar