Sex Differences in Genetic and Environmental Influences on Obsessive–Compulsive Symptoms in South Korean Adolescent and Young Adult Twins

AbstractRecent molecular genetic studies provide suggestive evidence for sexual dimorphism in genetics of obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, only a few twin studies have addressed the question of sex differences in genetic and environmental contributions to variation of obsessive–compulsive symptoms. The aim of the present study was to estimate genetic and environmental influences on obsessive–compulsive symptoms in South Korean twins, with a special emphasis on sex difference. In total, 751 adolescent and young adult twin pairs (ages: 13–23 years) completed a Korean version of the 30 items of the Maudsley Obsessional — Compulsive Inventory (MOCI) through a mail survey. A sum of the answers for the 30 items was calculated to represent a total score for obsessive–compulsive symptoms (hereafter, the MOCIT). Males had significantly higher variance of the MOCIT than did females. In males, monozygotic (MZ) twin correlation was significantly higher than dizygotic (DZ) twin correlations (.56 vs. .24), whereas in females, MZ and DZ twin correlations were not significantly different from each other (.39 vs. .36). The general sex-limitation model was applied to the twin data. The results of model-fitting analyses indicated that the unstandardized genetic variance as well as heritability estimate (53% vs. 41%) for the MOCIT was higher in males than in females. However, shared environmental influences did not attain statistical significance perhaps due to insufficient statistical power.

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Genetic and Environmental Covariations Among Obsessive–Compulsive Symptoms, Neuroticism, and Extraversion in South Korean Adolescent and Young Adult Twins

Twin Research and Human Genetics ◽

10.1375/twin.12.2.142 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 142-148 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Yoon-Mi Hur

Keyword(s):

Young Adult ◽

Genetic Factors ◽

Genetic Correlations ◽

Mental Illnesses ◽

Adolescent And Young Adult ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

South Korean ◽

Psychiatric Illnesses ◽

Adult Twins

AbstractA growing literature suggests that personality traits may be endophenotype markers for psychiatric illnesses. Although the phenotypic relationships between obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and high neuroticism and low extraversion have been well documented, underlying genetic and environmental contributions to these associations have not been explored previously. Five hundred and twenty-four monozygoitc (MZ) and 228 dizygotic (DZ) pairs of adolescent and young adult twins (aged 13–24 years) drawn from the South Korean Twin Registry completed the Maudsley Obsessive Compulsive Inventory (MOCI) and the Neuroticism and Extraversion scale of the Eysenck Personality Scale by mail. The total score of MOCI (MOCIT) was significantly and positively correlated with Neuroticism (r= .44), but only weakly and negatively related to Extraversion (r= –.10). A trivariate Cholesky model was applied to the data. The additive genetic correlations in the best-fitting model were .51 between Neuroticism and MOCIT and –.17 between Extraversion and MOCIT, suggesting that additive genetic factors that lead to high neuroticism and low extraversion overlap with those genetic factors influencing high OC symptoms. These findings add to the cumulative evidence of the shared genetic etiology for the associations between a personality profile of high neuroticism and low extraversion and mental illnesses.

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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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Shared Genetic Etiology of Hwabyung (Anger Syndrome) and Somatization Symptoms in South Korean Adolescent and Young Adult Twins

Twin Research and Human Genetics ◽

10.1017/thg.2019.6 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 114-119 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Yoon-Mi Hur ◽

Hee-Jeong Jin ◽

Siwoo Lee ◽

Jong-Woo Kim

Keyword(s):

Young Adult ◽

Measurement Error ◽

Genetic Factors ◽

Environmental Influences ◽

Adolescent And Young Adult ◽

Genetic Etiology ◽

Environmental Variance ◽

South Korean ◽

Korean Adolescent ◽

Shared Genetic

AbstractSomatization is known to be more prevalent in Asian than in Western populations. Using a South Korean adolescent and young adult twin sample (N = 1754; 367 monozygotic male, 173 dizygotic male, 681 monozygotic female, 274 dizygotic female and 259 opposite-sex dizygotic twins), the present study aimed to estimate heritability of somatization and to determine common genetic and environmental influences on somatization and hwabyung (HB: anger syndrome). Twins completed self-report questionnaires of the HB symptoms scale and the somatization scale via a telephone interview. The results of the general sex-limitation model showed that 43% (95% CI [36, 50]) of the total variance of somatization was attributable to additive genetic factors, with the remaining variance, 57% (95% CI [50, 64]), being due to individual-specific environmental influences, including measurement error. These estimates were not significantly different between the two sexes. The phenotypic correlation between HB and somatization was .53 (p < .001). The bivariate model-fitting analyses revealed that the genetic correlation between the two symptoms was .68 (95% CI [.59, .77]), while the individual-specific environmental correlation, including correlated measurement error, was .41 (95% CI [.34, .48]). Of the additive genetic factors of 43% that influence somatization, approximately half (20%) were associated with those related to HB, with the remainder being due to genes unique to somatization. A substantial part (48%) of individual environmental variance in somatization was unrelated to HB; only 9% of the environmental variance was shared with HB. Our findings suggest that HB and somatization have shared genetic etiology, but environmental factors that precipitate the development of HB and somatization may be largely independent from each other.

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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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Obsessive–Compulsive Symptoms and Related Sex Differences in Brain Structure: An MRI Study in Dutch Twins

Twin Research and Human Genetics ◽

10.1017/thg.2013.10 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 516-524 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Anouk den Braber ◽

Eco J.C. de Geus ◽

Dorret I. Boomsma ◽

Dennis van ‘t Ent

Keyword(s):

Sex Differences ◽

Developmental Trajectories ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽

Brain Anatomy ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms ◽

Middle Temporal ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

The Right

Neuroimaging studies have indicated abnormalities in cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuits in obsessive–compulsive disorder patients, but results have not been consistent. Since there are significant sex differences in human brain anatomy and obsessive–compulsive symptomatology and its developmental trajectories tend to be distinct in males and females, we investigated whether sex is a potential source of heterogeneity in neuroimaging studies on obsessive–compulsive symptoms. We selected male and female twin pairs who were concordant for scoring either high or low for obsessive–compulsive symptoms and a group of discordant pairs where one twin scored high and the co-twin scored low. The design included 24 opposite-sex twin pairs. Magnetic resonance imaging scans of 31 males scoring high for obsessive–compulsive symptoms, 41 low-scoring males, 58 high-scoring females, and 73 low-scoring females were analyzed and the interaction of obsessive–compulsive symptoms by sex on gray matter volume was assessed using voxel-based morphometry. An obsessive–compulsive symptom by sex interaction was observed for the left middle temporal gyrus, the right middle temporal gyrus, and the right precuneus. These interactions acted to reduce or hide a main effect in our study and illustrate the importance of taking sex into account when investigating the neurobiology of obsessive–compulsive symptoms.

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Sex Differences in Anxiety Disorders

The Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology and Behavioral Endocrinology ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190649739.013.21 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 404-432

Author(s):

Teresa A. Piggott ◽

Alexandra N. Duran ◽

Isha Jalnapurkar ◽

Tyler Kimm ◽

Stephanie Linscheid ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sex Differences ◽

Anxiety Disorder ◽

Anxiety Disorders ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

Considerable Research ◽

Psychosocial Influences ◽

Psychiatric Conditions ◽

The Impact

Women are more likely than men to meet lifetime criteria for an anxiety disorder. Moreover, anxiety is a risk factor for the development of other psychiatric conditions, including major depression. Numerous studies have identified evidence of sex differences in anxiety disorders, and there is considerable research concerning factors that may contribute to vulnerability for anxiety in females. In addition to psychosocial influences, biological components such as the female reproductive hormone cycle have also been implicated. Although psychotropic medication is more likely to be prescribed to women, there is little controlled data available concerning sex differences in the efficacy and/or tolerability of pharmacotherapy in anxiety disorders. This chapter provides an overview of the impact of gender in the epidemiology, phenomenology, course, and treatment response in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder (PD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

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Disentangling Doubt and Checking Behaviors and Examining Their Association With Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms

Clinical Psychological Science ◽

10.1177/2167702621993868 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 216770262199386

Author(s):

Asher Y. Strauss ◽

Isaac Fradkin ◽

Jonathan D. Huppert

Keyword(s):

Mouse Tracking ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

Null Results ◽

Unobtrusive Measure ◽

Compulsive Checking ◽

Tone Discrimination ◽

Neutral Conditions ◽

The Relationship

Experiencing doubt in an uncertain situation has been theorized to be an antecedent of compulsive checking. However, whether and when obsessive compulsive (OC) symptoms are associated with experiencing doubt and increased checking is unclear. In this study, we investigated the relationship between OC symptoms, the experience of doubt, and checking in a tone-discrimination task. Doubt was measured using mouse tracking, an indirect, unobtrusive measure. The results of two studies ( N = 119) showed that OC symptoms were associated with elevated experiences of doubt when uncertainty was low. However, OC symptoms were not associated with increased checking, but doubt was. Results highlight the utility of mouse-tracking measures to capture the tendency of individuals with OC symptoms to experience doubt even under neutral conditions. The unexpected null results concerning checking suggest some specific directions for research to determine the conditions under which doubt evolves into checking in obsessive compulsive disorder.

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The treatment of magical ideation in two individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder

The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist ◽

10.1017/s1754470x10000140 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 16-29 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Danielle A. Einstein ◽

Ross G. Menzies ◽

Tamsen St Clare ◽

Juliette Drobny ◽

Fjola Dogg Helgadottir

Keyword(s):

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽

Video Clip ◽

Magical Thinking ◽

Behaviour Therapy ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Magical Ideation ◽

Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Pre Treatment

AbstractData collected from clinical populations indicate that magical ideation (MI) may play a causal or a mediating role in the expression of obsessive compulsive symptoms. If this is the case then when targeted in treatment, symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) should be altered. Two individuals diagnosed with OCD received a trial treatment targeting magical thinking. The intervention consisted of a series of procedures designed to undermine superstitious/MI without targeting obsessions or compulsions. The procedures involved critical analysis of the following material: (1) a free astrology offer; (2) a horoscope prediction exercise; (3) a description of four different cultural explanations of the origin of fire; (4) an instructive guide for Tarot card readers; (5) a report of a UFO sighting; (6) a video-clip describing a cult festival; (7) a description of a ‘hoax’ channeler and (8) a superstition exercise. Measures of obsessive compulsive symptoms, superstition, MI and thought–action fusion were administered pre-treatment, post-treatment and at 3 months’ follow-up. According to the twofold criterion of Jacobson et al. (Behaviour Therapy 1984, 15, 336–352), following treatment the patients were identified as being recovered on measures of magical and superstitious thinking and on the Padua Inventory.

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Severity of Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms is Related to Self-Directedness Character Trait in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

CNS Spectrums ◽

10.1017/s1092852900002789 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 9 (8) ◽

pp. 607-612 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Carlos Cruz-Fuentes ◽

Claudia Blas ◽

Laura Gonzalez ◽

Beatriz Camarena ◽

Humberto Nicolini

Keyword(s):

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽

Rating Scales ◽

Character Trait ◽

Depression And Anxiety ◽

Temperament And Character Inventory ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

Behavioral Features ◽

Character Inventory

ABSTRACT:Objective:The present study examined the psychobiological Temperament and Character model of personality on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients, as well as the relation of temperament and/or character dimensions on the severity of obsessive-compubive symptoms.Methods:Fifty-four subjects diagnosed with OCD, were assessed with the Temperament and Character Inventory, the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive scale and the Hamilton Rating Scales for depression and anxiety.Results:Compared with controls, OCD subjects displayed increased harm avoidance and lower self-directedness and cooperativeness. Low self-directedness and high Hamilton depression scores were associated with increased severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms.Conclusions:The Temperament and Character profile of OCD patients characterized in the present stud personality model and can be linked to some of their behavioral features. Furthermore, our data provides support of the influence that some personality traits may have on the severity of OCD symptoms.

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