Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-dh8gc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-02T21:44:04.388Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A twin study of antisocial and neurotic symptoms in childhood

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Anita Thapar  and
Peter McGuffin
Anita Thapar*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff
Peter McGuffin
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr Anita Thapar, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Manchester. Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Pendlebury, Manchester M27 4HA.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Synopsis

There is some evidence to suggest that the role of genetic and environmental influences may vary for different types of psychiatric symptoms in childhood. The aim of this study was to examine to what extent genetic and environmental factors influence parent-rated conduct and neurotic symptoms in childhood and adolescence, using data obtained from a systematically ascertained sample of twins (198 same sex pairs) aged between 8 and 16 years. For symptoms of antisocial behaviour, transmission could be explained entirely by shared environmental factors. Social class effects were also found to have a significant influence on antisocial behaviour, although these effects only accounted for a small proportion of the variance explained by shared environmental factors. In contrast, transmission of neurotic symptoms was best explained by additive genetic influences alone with no contribution from shared environment. Non-shared environmental factors accounted for a substantial component of the variation for both antisocial behaviour and neurotic symptoms.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 26 , Issue 6 , November 1996 , pp. 1111 - 1118
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Achenbach, T. M. & Edelbrock, C. S. (1983). Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist and Revised Profile. University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry: Burlington. VT.Google Scholar
Andrews, J., Davies, K., Chalmers, I. & Campbell, H. (1986). The Cardiff Birth Survey. In Genetic and Population Studies in Wales (ed. Harper, P. S. and Sunderland, E.), pp. 317–341. University of Wales Press: Cardiff.Google Scholar
Bohman, M. (1972). A study of adopted children, their background, environment and adjustment. Ada Paediatrica Scandinavica 61, 90–97.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carey, G. (1986). Sibling imitation and contrast effects. Behavior Genetics 16, 319–341.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cloninger, C. R. & Gottesman, I. I. (1987). Genetic and environmental factors in antisocial behavior disorders. In Causes of Crime: New Biological Approaches (ed. Mednick, S. A., Moffitt, T. E. and Stack, S. A.), pp. 92–109. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, D. J., Dibble, E., Grawe, J. M. & Pollin, W. (1975). Reliably separating identical from fraternal twins. Archives of General Psychiatry 32, 1371–1375.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
DiLalla, L. F. & Gottesman, I. I. (1989). Heterogeneity of causes for delinquency and criminality: Lifespan perspectives. Development and Psychopalhology 1, 339–349.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Earls, F. (1994). Oppositional-defiant and conduct disorders. In Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Modern Approaches 3rd ed. (ed. Rutter, M., Taylor, E. and Hersov, L.), pp. 308–329. Blackwell Scientific Publications: Oxford.Google Scholar
Eaves, L. J. (1976). A model for sibling effects in man. Heredity 36, 205–214.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eaves, L. J. (1978). Model fitting approaches to the analysis of human behaviour. Heredity 41, 249–320.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Edelbrock, C., Rende, R., Plomin, R. & Thompson, L. A. (1995). A twin study of competence and problem behavior in childhood and early adolescence. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 36, 775–785.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Graham, P. & Stevenson, J. (1985). A twin study of genetic influences on behavioral deviance. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 24, 33–41.Google ScholarPubMed
Hewitt, J. K., Silberg, J. L., Neale, M. C., Eaves, L. J. & Erickson, M. (1992). The analysis of parental ratings of children's behavior using LISREL. Behavior Genetics 22, 293–317.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jary, M. L. & Stewart, M. A. (1985). Psychiatric disorder in the parents of adopted children with aggressive conduct disorder. Neuropsychobiology 13, 7–11.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McGuffin, P. & Gottesman, I. I. (1985). Genetic influences on normal and abnormal development. In Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Modern Approaches, 2nd edn. (ed. Rutter, M. and Hersov, L.), pp. 17–33. Blackwell Scientific Publications: Oxford.Google Scholar
McGuffin, P. & Thapar, A. (1992). The genetics of personality disorder. British Journal of Psychiatry 160, 12–23.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McGuffin, P., Owen, M. J., O'Donovan, M. C., Thapar, A. & Gottesman, I. I. (1994). Seminars in Psychiatric Genetics. Gaskell: London.Google Scholar
Neale, M. C. (1991). Mx. Statistical Modeling. Department of Human Genetics, MCV, Richmond, Virginia.Google Scholar
Neale, M. C. & Stevenson, J. (1989). Rater bias in the EASI temperament scales: a twin study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 56, 446–455.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nichols, R. C. & Bilbro, W. C. (1966). The diagnosis of twin zygosity. Acta Genetica. Basel 16, 265–275.Google ScholarPubMed
Plomin, R. (1994). Genetics and Experience. The Interplay Between Nature and Nurture Thousand Oaks: Sage.Google Scholar
Plomin, R., DeFries, J. C. & McClearn, G. E. (1990). Behavioral Genetics. A Primer. Freeman: New York.Google Scholar
Quinton, D., Pickles, A., Maughan, B. & Rutter, M. (1993). Partners, peers and pathways: assortative pairing and continuities and conduct disorder. Development and Psychopalhology 5, 763–783.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robins, L. N. (1978). Sturdy childhood predictors of adult antisocial behaviour: replications form longitudinal studies. Psychological Medicine 8, 611–622.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rowe, D. (1983). Biometric models of self-reported delinquent behavior: a twin study. Behavior Genetics 13, 473–489.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rowe, D. C., Rodgers, J. L. & Meseck-Bushey, S. (1992). Sibling delinquency and family environment: shared and unshared influences. Child Development 63, 59–67.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rutter, M., Tizard, J. & Whitmore, K. (1970). Education, Health and Behaviour. Longman: London.Google Scholar
Rutter, M., Cox, A., Tupling, C., Berger, M. & Yule, W. (1975). Attainment and adjustment in two geographical areas: I. Prevalence of psychiatric disorder. British Journal of Psychiatry 126, 493–509.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rutter, M. (1978). Family, area and school influences in the genesis of conduct disorders. In Aggression and Ami-social Behaviour in Childhood and Adolescence (ed. Hersov, L. A. and Berger, M. A.), pp. 95–114. Pergamon: London.Google Scholar
Rutter, M. & Giller, H. (1983). Juvenile Delinquency. Trends and Perspectives. Guilford Press: New York.Google Scholar
Rutter, M. & Gould, M. (1985). Classification. In Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Modern Approaches, 2nd edn. (ed. Rutter, M. and Hersov, L.), pp. 304–321). Blackwell Scientific Publications: Oxford.Google Scholar
Rutter, M. (1989). Isle of Wight revisited: twenty-five years of child psychiatric epidemiology. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 28, 633–653.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schmitz, S., Cherny, S. S., Fulker, D. W. & Mrazek, D. A. (1994). Genetic and environmental influences on early childhood behavior. Behavior Genetics 24, 25–34.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Silberg, J., Rutter, M., Meyer, J., Simonoff, E., Hewitt, J., Loeber, R., Pickles, A., Maes, H. & Eaves, L. (1996). Comorbidity among symptoms of hyperactivity and conduct problems in male and female juvenile twins. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (in the press).Google Scholar
Stevenson, J. & Graham, P. (1988). Behavioral deviance in 13-yearold twins: an item analysis. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 27, 791–797.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thapar, A. & McGuffin, P. (1995). Are anxiety symptoms in childhood heritable? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 36, 439–447.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zoccolillo, M., Pickles, A., Quinton, D. & Rutter, M. (1992). The outcome of childhood conduct disorder: implications for defining adult personality disorder and conduct disorder. Psychological Medicine 22, 971–986.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed