Developmental changes in genetic and environmental influences on Chinese child and adolescent anxiety and depression

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (9) ◽  
pp. 1829-1838 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Zheng ◽  
F. Rijsdijk ◽  
J.-B. Pingault ◽  
R. J. McMahon ◽  
J. B. Unger
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Transition Period ◽  
Environmental Influences ◽  
Child And Adolescent ◽  
Developmental Changes ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Late Childhood ◽  
Adolescent Anxiety

BackgroundTwin and family studies using Western samples have established that child and adolescent anxiety and depression are under substantial genetic, modest shared environmental, and substantial non-shared environmental influences. Generalizability of these findings to non-Western societies remains largely unknown, particularly regarding the changes of genetic and environmental influences with age. The current study examined changes in genetic and environmental influences on self-reported anxiety and depression from late childhood to mid-adolescence among a Chinese twin sample. Sex differences were also examined.MethodSelf-reported anxiety and depression were collected from 712 10- to 12-year-old Chinese twins (mean = 10.88 years, 49% males) and again 3 years later. Quantitative genetic modeling was used to examine developmental changes in genetic and environmental influences on anxiety and depression, and sex differences.ResultsHeritability of anxiety and depression in late childhood (23 and 20%) decreased to negligible in mid-adolescence, while shared environmental influences increased (20 and 27% to 57 and 60%). Shared environmental factors explained most of the continuity of anxiety and depression (75 and 77%). Non-shared environmental factors were largely time-specific. No sex differences were observed.ConclusionsShared environmental influences might be more pronounced during the transition period of adolescence in non-Western societies such as China. Future research should examine similarities and differences in the genetic and environmental etiologies of child and adolescent internalizing and other psychopathology in development between Western and non-Western societies.

scholarly journals Sex Differences in Genetic and Environmental Influences on Adolescent Depressive Symptoms: A Meta-Analytic Review

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Chen ◽  
Jing Yu
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Sex Difference ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Environmental Influences ◽  
Twin Studies ◽  
Adolescent Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Analytic Review ◽  
Self Reports

Although sex difference in the mean level of depressive symptoms has been well established, the sex difference in genetic and environmental influences on adolescent depressive symptoms is unclear. The current study conducted a meta-analysis of twin studies on sex differences in self- and parent-reported adolescent depressive symptoms. For self-reports, genetic factors influenced adolescent depressive symptoms equally for boys and girls, accounting for 46% of variation, but shared environmental factors had stronger impacts on adolescent girls’ versus boys’ depressive symptoms (13% versus 1% of the variance). For parent-reports, genetic, shared, and nonshared environmental factors influenced adolescent depressive symptoms equally, with separate estimates of 34%, 35%, and 31%. The implications of sex difference in genetic and environmental etiologies of depressive symptoms are discussed.

Interaction Between Experience Seeking and Genetic and Environmental Influences on General Cognitive Ability

2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna A. E. Vinkhuyzen ◽  
Sophie van der Sluis ◽  
Danielle Posthuma
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Environmental Influences ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Phenotypic Correlation ◽  
General Cognitive Ability ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Environmental Causes ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽  
Adult Twins

Although it is well established that experience seeking behavior (ES) is positively related to cognitive functioning, the mechanisms underlying this association are not clearly understood. In a large sample of adult twins and siblings (N = 864, age range 23–75), we studied the causes of covariation between ES and general cognitive ability and we studied whether ES moderates the genetic and environmental causes of variation in general cognitive ability. Results demonstrate a phenotypic correlation of .17 (p <.001) between general cognitive ability and ES, with a common genetic and common environmental background. Moreover, the extent to which genetic and environmental factors are shared between general cognitive ability and ES is increased in individuals with either lower or higher levels of ES. In addition, the extent to which genetic and environmental factors influence individual differences in general cognitive ability in adults partly depended on ES. Standardized influences of additive genetic factors on general cognitive ability ranged from 13% to 99%, with lower estimates in higher levels of ES, while standardized estimates of environmental factors ranged from almost 1% to 87%, with higher estimates in higher levels of ES. Hence, ES and cognitive ability are not only associated through common genetic and environmental factors, but also via moderating effects of genetic and environmental influences on cognitive ability by ES. These findings have implications for future studies on the association between ES and general cognitive ability, and for future research on the genetics of cognitive ability.

scholarly journals Estimating the stability of heartbeat counting in middle childhood: a twin study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Murphy ◽  
Rosa Cheesman ◽  
Alice M Gregory ◽  
Jennifer Lau ◽  
Anke Ehlers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Middle Childhood ◽  
Internal State ◽  
Environmental Influences ◽  
Temporal Stability ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Genetic Influences ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Counting Task ◽  
The Stability

There is growing interest in interoception, the perception of the body’s internal state, and its relevance for health and higher-order cognition across development. To date, most evidence linking interoception to health and cognition has used the heartbeat counting task. However, the stability of the measure across time, particularly during childhood, and the etiological factors that underlie individual differences in stability remain largely unexamined. Using data from the ECHO twin sample (N=204 twin pairs), we estimated the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences on the stability of heartbeat counting across a two-year period (8-10 years), the longest time-frame examined. We found a relatively modest correlation between heartbeat counting accuracy across time (r=.35), with accuracy on the heartbeat counting task improving with age. In our longitudinal twin analysis, we found that the heritability of heartbeat counting dropped between Time 1 and Time 2 from 30% to 6%. No new genetic influences were observed at Time 2, suggesting that genetic influences across this age-range are entirely stable. In contrast, shared environmental influences increased from 6% to 22%, with most of the influence at Time 2 due to new environmental factors. Of note, nonshared environmental factors accounted for the greatest proportion of variance at both time points, 64% and 73% respectively, and were the main contributors to temporal stability in heartbeat counting accuracy. Future research should seek to identify these non-shared environmental factors and elucidate whether this relatively modest stability reflects variability of interoception across development or unreliability of the heartbeat counting task.

scholarly journals A Novel Music Therapy Intervention Utilizing Pop Music to Reduce Adolescent Anxiety and Depression

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhixing Huang ◽  
Natasha Duell
Keyword(s):  
Music Therapy ◽  
Mental State ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Emotional Impact ◽  
Pop Music ◽  
Adolescent Anxiety ◽  
Regular Control

The prevalence of adolescents' mental disorders, especially anxiety and depression, has become a critical social issue that needs to be addressed. Conventional music therapy could be a useful tool to help teens manage their symptoms. However, few kinds of research have explored the potential function of listening to pop music to improve adolescents’ mental state. This paper explored a pivotal approach to whether scientifically proven pop music can help prevent anxiety and depression. The paper developed a criterion that is used for selecting pop music with mentally beneficial elements and created a playlist with songs selected under the criterion. Two survey-based studies, containing a professional diagnosis scale and various questions, qualitatively and quantitatively examined the playlist’s emotional impact. In Study 1, results indicated that the playlist could relieve anxiety symptoms, with less influence in depression. In Study 2, regular control measures and qualitative questions proved that the selected music exerted its intended positive emotional effects onto the listener and indicated that listening to the music on a daily basis may be useful in improving and maintaining one’s healthy mental state. The results were promising and suggested great potential in future research. The scientific use of pop music as a self-help method beneficial in tackling anxiety and depression among teenagers could be a prospective field of study.

scholarly journals Sex Differences in Genetic and Environmental Influences on Educational Attainment and Income

2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 516-525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ragnhild E. Ørstavik ◽  
Nikolai Czajkowski ◽  
Espen Røysamb ◽  
Gun Peggy Knudsen ◽  
Kristian Tambs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Educational Level ◽  
Environmental Influences ◽  
Phenotypic Correlation ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽  
The Relationship

In many Western countries, women now reach educational levels comparable to men, although their income remains considerably lower. For the past decades, it has become increasingly clear that these measures of socio-economic status are influenced by genetic as well as environmental factors. Less is known about the relationship between education and income, and sex differences. The aim of this study was to explore genetic and environmental factors influencing education and income in a large cohort of young Norwegian twins, with special emphasis on gender differences. National register data on educational level and income were obtained for 7,710 twins (aged 29–41 years). Bivariate Cholesky models were applied to estimate qualitative and quantitative gender differences in genetic and environmental influences, the relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors to the correlation between education and income, and genetic correlations within and between sexes and phenotypes. The phenotypic correlation between educational level and income was 0.34 (0.32–0.39) for men and 0.45 (0.43–0.48) for women. An ACE model with both qualitative and quantitative sex differences fitted the data best. The genetic correlation between men and women (rg) was 0.66 (0.22–1.00) for educational attainment and 0.38 (0.01–0.75) for income, and between the two phenotypes 0.31 (0.08–0.52) for men and 0.72 (0.64–0.85) for women. Our results imply that, in relatively egalitarian societies with state-supported access to higher education and political awareness of gender equality, genetic factors may play an important role in explaining sex differences in the relationship between education and income.

scholarly journals Priorities for research in child and adolescent anxiety and depression: a priority setting partnership with youth and professionals

F1000Research ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 1221
Author(s):  
Brynhildur Axelsdóttir ◽  
Lise Mette Eidet ◽  
Ragnhild Thoner ◽  
Sølvi Biedilæ ◽  
Ingrid Borren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Priority Setting ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Mental Health Patient ◽  
Adolescent Anxiety ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Patient Representatives ◽  
James Lind Alliance ◽  
Research Initiatives

Background: A starting point for evaluating the effectiveness of treatments should be to identify evidence gaps. Furthermore, such evaluations should consider the perspectives of patients, clinicians and carers to ensure relevance and potentially influence future research initiatives. Methods: Our approach, inspired by the James Lind Alliance methods, involved three steps. First, we performed a document analysis by identifying interventions and outcomes in two recently published overviews of systematic reviews, which summarised the effects of interventions for anxiety and depression in children and adolescents. Second, we surveyed children and adolescents with personal experiences of depression or anxiety as well as clinicians, and asked them to suggest treatments and outcomes associated with uncertainty. Finally, we facilitated a consensus process where clinicians and youth mental health patient representatives were invited to prioritise research uncertainties in separate consensus processes. Results: The survey included 674 respondents who reported a total of 1267 uncertainties. Independent coding by four investigators revealed 134 suggestions for treatments of anxiety, 90 suggestions for treatments of depression, 84 for outcomes of interventions for anxiety and 71 suggestions for outcomes of interventions for depression. Two separate priority setting workshops with eight clinicians and ten youth resulted in four independent top ten priority lists. Conclusion: Top ten lists of treatments and outcome domains of anxiety and depression in children and adolescents was identified by youth and clinicians. The results may influence the research agenda, and ultimately benefit patients.

Genetic and environmental influences on disinhibition, boldness, and meanness as assessed by the triarchic psychopathy measure in 19–20-year-old twins

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (09) ◽  
pp. 1500-1509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Tuvblad ◽  
Pan Wang ◽  
Christopher J. Patrick ◽  
Leslie Berntsen ◽  
Adrian Raine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Environmental Influences ◽  
Psychopathic Personality ◽  
Phenotypic Correlation ◽  
University Of Southern California ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
The University

AbstractBackgroundThe Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM) provides Disinhibition, Boldness, and Meanness scales for assessing the three trait domains of the triarchic model. Here we examined the genetic and environmental etiology of these three domains, including evaluation of potential sex differences.MethodsA total of 1016 men and women ages 19–20 years were drawn from the University of Southern California Risk Factors for Antisocial Behavior twin study.ResultsScores for the three TriPM scales were correlated to differing degrees, with the strongest phenotypic correlation between Disinhibition and Meanness. No sex differences were found in the genetic and environmental influences underlying these three domains, suggesting that the same genes and life experiences contribute to these traits in young men and women. For TriPM Disinhibition and Boldness, genetic factors explained about half or less of the variance, with the rest of the variance being explained by non-shared environmental factors. For TriPM Meanness, on the other hand, genetic, shared environmental, and non-shared environmental factors accounted for the variance. The phenotypic correlation between Disinhibition and Meanness was explained in part by common genes (26%), with the remainder attributable about equally to common shared (39%), and non-shared environmental influences (35%).ConclusionsThese findings contribute to our understanding of psychopathic personality traits by demonstrating the importance of heritable factors for disinhibition and boldness facets of psychopathy, and the importance of shared environmental influences for the meanness facet.

scholarly journals Sex Differences in Genetic and Environmental Influences on Percent Body Fatness and Physical Activity

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1187-1193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin White ◽  
Jennifer D. Slane ◽  
Kelly L. Klump ◽  
S. Alexandra Burt ◽  
Jim Pivarnik
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Environmental Influences ◽  
Bioelectrical Impedance ◽  
Impedance Analysis ◽  
Female Adolescent ◽  
Future Health ◽  
Body Fatness ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors

Background:Knowing the extent to which genetic and environmental factors influence percent body fatness (%Fat) and physical activity (PA) would be beneficial, since both are tightly correlated with future health outcomes. Thus, the purpose was to evaluate sex differences in genetic and environmental influences on %Fat and physical activity behavior in male and female adolescent twins.Methods:Subjects were adolescent (age range 8.3 to 16.6 yr) twins. %Fat (n = 518 twins) was assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and PA (n = 296 twins) was measured using 3-Day PA Recall. Each activity was converted to total MET-minutes. Univariate twin models were used to examine sex differences in genetic and environmental factors influencing %Fat and PA.Results:%Fat was influenced by genetic effects in both boys and girls (88% and 90%, respectively), with slightly higher heritability estimates for girls. PA was influenced solely by environmental effects for both sexes with higher shared environmental influences in boys (66%) and higher nonshared effects in girls (67%).Conclusions:When developing interventions to increase PA in adolescents, it is important to consider the environment in which it takes place as it is the primary contributor to PA levels.

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