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Depressive and Psychosomatic Symptoms in Twins With Special Reference to Co-Twin Dependence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2012

Tuulikki Trias ,
Hanna Ebeling ,
Varpu Penninkilampi-Kerola  and
Irma Moilanen
Tuulikki Trias*
Affiliation:
Fundación Orienta, Mental Health Center for Children and Youth, El Prat de Llobregat, Spain. [email protected]
Hanna Ebeling
Affiliation:
Clinic of Child Psychiatry, Department of Paediatrics, University and University Hospital of Oulu, Finland.
Varpu Penninkilampi-Kerola
Affiliation:
Clinic of Child Psychiatry, Department of Paediatrics, University and University Hospital of Oulu, Finland.
Irma Moilanen
Affiliation:
Clinic of Child Psychiatry, Department of Paediatrics, University and University Hospital of Oulu, Finland.
*
*Address for Correspondence: Tuulikki Trias, MD, Ph.D, Fundación Orienta, c/ Vidal i Barraquer 28, 08830 Sant Boi de Llobregat, Spain.

Abstract

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We analyzed depressive and psychosomatic symptoms in relation to co-twin dependence in 419 twins at the age of 22 to 30 years. Depressive symptoms were assessed, as previously, with Children's Depression Inventory modified to be suitable for this age and reported as a total score and three subscales (low self-confidence, anhedonia and sadness) based on factor analysis as reported in a previous epidemiological study conducted in Finland. Items assessing nervous complaints and somatic symptoms were adapted from Finnish studies of juvenile health habits. Inter-twin dependence decreased with increasing age in both genders. Monozygotic twins, especially monozygotic females, reported most often to be dependent on their co-twin. When the symptom reporting was evaluated in relation to co-twin dependence, no relation was found between co-twin dependence and depressive symptom reporting. However, dependence-independence imbalance within twin pair was associated with elevated levels of depressive and psychosomatic symptoms, especially in twins who perceived themselves as dependent and the co-twin as independent. We conclude that there was no relation found between co-twin dependence and depressive symptom reporting in male and female twins except for the few imbalance cases, where most symptoms were reported by those dependent twins who felt their co-twin as independent.

Keywords

co-twin dependencedepressivenesspsychosomatic symptoms
Type
Articles
Information
Twin Research and Human Genetics , Volume 13 , Issue 6 , 01 December 2010 , pp. 559 - 566
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010