Longitudinal Stability of Genetic and Environmental Influences on the Association between Diurnal Preference and Sleep Quality in Young Adult Twins and Siblings

BackgroundCertain aspects of sleep co-occur with externalizing behaviours in youth, yet little is known about these associations in adults. The present study: (1) examines the associations between diurnal preference (morningness versus eveningness), sleep quality and externalizing behaviours; (2) explores the extent to which genetic and environmental influences are shared between or are unique to these phenotypes; (3) examines the extent to which genetic and environmental influences account for these associations.MethodQuestionnaires assessing diurnal preference, sleep quality and externalizing behaviours were completed by 1556 young adult twins and siblings.ResultsA preference for eveningness and poor sleep quality were associated with greater externalizing symptoms [r=0.28 (95% CI 0.23–0.33) and 0.34 (95% CI 0.28–0.39), respectively]. A total of 18% of the genetic influences on externalizing behaviours were shared with diurnal preference and sleep quality and an additional 14% were shared with sleep quality alone. Non-shared environmental influences common to the phenotypes were small (2%). The association between diurnal preference and externalizing behaviours was mostly explained by genetic influences [additive genetic influence (A)=80% (95% CI 0.56–1.01)], as was the association between sleep quality and externalizing behaviours [A=81% (95% CI 0.62–0.99)]. Non-shared environmental (E) influences accounted for the remaining variance for both associations [E=20% (95% CI −0.01 to 0.44) and 19% (95% CI 0.01–0.38), respectively].ConclusionsA preference for eveningness and poor sleep quality are moderately associated with externalizing behaviours in young adults. There is a moderate amount of shared genetic influences between the phenotypes and genetic influences account for a large proportion of the association between sleep and externalizing behaviours. Further research could focus on identifying specific genetic polymorphisms common to both sleep and externalizing behaviours.

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DIURNAL PREFERENCE AND SLEEP QUALITY: SAME GENES? A STUDY OF YOUNG ADULT TWINS

Chronobiology International ◽

10.3109/07420521003663801 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 27 (2) ◽

pp. 278-296 ◽

Cited By ~ 109

Author(s):

Nicola L. Barclay ◽

Thalia C. Eley ◽

Daniel J. Buysse ◽

Simon N. Archer ◽

Alice M. Gregory

Keyword(s):

Young Adult ◽

Sleep Quality ◽

Diurnal Preference ◽

Adult Twins

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Self-reported sleep quality, weight status and depression in young adult twins and siblings

BMC Obesity ◽

10.1186/s40608-015-0079-8 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Alexia Sawyer ◽

Abi Fisher ◽

Clare Llewellyn ◽

Alice M. Gregory

Keyword(s):

Young Adult ◽

Sleep Quality ◽

Weight Status ◽

Adult Twins ◽

Quality Weight

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Moderation of genetic and environmental influences on diurnal preference by age in adult twins

Chronobiology International ◽

10.3109/07420528.2013.842924 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 31 (2) ◽

pp. 222-231 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Nicola L. Barclay ◽

Nathaniel F. Watson ◽

Dedra Buchwald ◽

Jack Goldberg

Keyword(s):

Environmental Influences ◽

Diurnal Preference ◽

Adult Twins

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Heritability of Hwabyung Symptoms in South Korean Adolescent and Young Adult Twins

Twin Research and Human Genetics ◽

10.1017/thg.2018.40 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 21 (5) ◽

pp. 378-383 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Yoon-Mi Hur ◽

Eun-ji Choi ◽

Jong-Woo Kim ◽

Hee-Jeong Jin ◽

Siwoo Lee

Keyword(s):

Young Adult ◽

Environmental Influences ◽

Model Fitting ◽

Adolescent And Young Adult ◽

Parameter Estimates ◽

Present Sample ◽

South Korean ◽

Opposite Sex ◽

Estimate Heritability ◽

Adult Twins

The present study aimed to estimate heritability of Hwabyung (HB) symptoms in adolescent and young adult twins in South Korea. The sample included 1,601 twins consisting of 143 pairs of monozygotic male (MZM), 67 pairs of dizygotic male (DZM), 295 pairs of monozygotic female (MZF), 114 pairs of dizygotic female (DZF), and 117 pairs of opposite-sex dizygotic (OSDZ) twins and 129 twins with non-participating co-twins (mean age = 19.1 ± 3.1 years; range: 12–29 years). An HB symptom questionnaire was given to twins via a telephone interview. Consistent with the literature of HB, the mean level of HB was significantly higher in females than in males. Maximum likelihood twin correlations for HB were 0.31 (95% CI [0.16, 0.45]) for MZM, 0.19 (95% CI [-0.05, 0.41]) for DZM, 0.50 (95% CI [0.41, 0.58]) for MZF, 0.28 (95% CI [0.11, 0.44]) for DZF, and 0.23 (95% CI [0.05, 0.40]) for OSDZ twins. These patterns of twin correlations suggested the presence of additive genetic influences on HB. Model-fitting analysis showed that additive genetic and individual-specific environmental influences on HB were 44% (95% CI [37, 51]) and 56% (95% CI [49, 63]), respectively. Shared environmental influences were not significant. These parameter estimates were not significantly different between two sexes, and did not change significantly with age in the present sample, suggesting that genetic and environmental influences on HB in both sexes are stable across adolescence and young adulthood.

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Environmental influences predominate in remission from alcohol use disorder in young adult twins

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s003329171200044x ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 42 (11) ◽

pp. 2421-2431 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

V. V. McCutcheon ◽

J. D. Grant ◽

A. C. Heath ◽

K. K. Bucholz ◽

C. E. Sartor ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Young Adult ◽

Family History ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Telephone Interview ◽

Environmental Influences ◽

Familial Influences ◽

History Of ◽

Adult Twins ◽

Alcohol Abuse And Dependence

BackgroundFamilial influences on remission from alcohol use disorder (AUD) have been studied using family history of AUD rather than family history of remission. The current study used a remission phenotype in a twin sample to examine the relative contributions of genetic and environmental influences to remission.MethodThe sample comprised 6183 twins with an average age of 30 years from the Australian Twin Registry. Lifetime history of alcohol abuse and dependence symptoms and symptom recency were assessed with a structured telephone interview. AUD was defined broadly and narrowly as history of two or more or three or more abuse or dependence symptoms. Remission was defined as absence of symptoms at time of interview among individuals with lifetime AUD. Standard bivariate genetic analyses were conducted to derive estimates of genetic and environmental influences on AUD and remission.ResultsEnvironmental influences alone accounted for remission in males and for 89% of influences on remission in females, with 11% due to genetic influences shared with AUD, which decreased the likelihood of remission. For women, more than 80% of influences on remission were distinct from influences on AUD, and environmental influences were from individual experiences only. For men, just over 50% of influences on remission were distinct from those on AUD, and the influence of environments shared with the co-twin were substantial. The results for the broad and narrow phenotypes were similar.ConclusionsThe current study establishes young adult remission as a phenotype distinct from AUD and highlights the importance of environmental influences on remission.

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Sex Differences in Genetic and Environmental Contributions to Depression Symptoms in South Korean Adolescent and Young Adult Twins

Twin Research and Human Genetics ◽

10.1375/twin.11.3.306 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 306-313 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Yoon-Mi Hur

Keyword(s):

Sex Differences ◽

Young Adult ◽

Variance Components ◽

Environmental Influences ◽

Adolescent And Young Adult ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

East Asians ◽

South Korean ◽

Korean Adolescent ◽

Adult Twins

AbstractIt has been reported that prevalence estimates, symptom presentation, and sociocultural risk and protective factors for depression differ between Caucasian and East Asian populations. But, nonetheless, as the vast majority of twin studies of depression symptoms have been carried out using Caucasians, genetic and environmental influences on depression symptoms in East Asians remain poorly understood. In the present study, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies — Depression Scale (CES-D) was administered to 490 pairs of South Korean adolescent and young adult twins (ages: 13–23 years) by telephone interview. In males, monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twin correlations were similar (.44 vs. .41), suggesting the importance of shared environmental factors in depression symptoms. In females, however, MZ twin correlation was much greater than DZ twin correlation (.40 vs. .23), indicating the importance of genetic influences. The total phenotypic variance for the CES-D was greater in females than in males. Variance components model confirmed sex differences in the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences on depression symptoms: Additive genetic, shared environmental, and individual specific environmental effects in the full model were, res pectively, 12% (95% CI: 0–54%), 32% (95% CI: 0–53%), and 56% (95% CI: 44–70%) in males, and 41% (95% CI: 0–52%), 0% (95% CI: 0–36%), and 59% (95% CI: 48–72%) in females. Similar results were observed when ‘culturally biased’ items of the CES-D were separately analyzed. These variance components estimates for depression symptoms in East Asians overlap those observed in Caucasians.

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