ABSTRACT
Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) in a parent requires diagnostic follow-up and treatment from adolescence in possible gene carriers in order to prevent cancer development. A nationwide sample (n = 22) of adolescent FAP offspring including 85% of eligible individuals aged 11-20 years and their parents were interviewed with regard to adolescent mental health, psychosocial functioning, knowledge about FAP and genetic risk, and experiences with testing and surgery. Thirty-six percent of the FAP offspring fulfilled criteria for a psychiatric diagnosis. For adolescents older than 15 years, this was increased relative to a comparison group with Hirschprung's disease and a general population sample. Neither genetic testing nor FAP diagnosis in adolescent FAP-offspring differentiated significantly between those who fulfilled the criteria and those who did not for psychiatric diagnosis, while a global score of chronic family difficulties did. This may imply that experiencing parental illness more than inheriting FAP is a perceived stressor for adolescent FAP offspring.
Subject(s)
Adenomatous Polyposis Coli/genetics , Adenomatous Polyposis Coli/psychology , Family/psychology , Genetic Testing/psychology , Adenomatous Polyposis Coli/diagnosis , Adenomatous Polyposis Coli/epidemiology , Adolescent , Child , Female , Genes, APC , Humans , Interviews as Topic , Male , Mental Health , Reproduction , Risk Factors , Social Behavior , Young AdultABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To assess the longitudinal covariance between emotionality, activity, and sociability (EAS) temperamental traits and anxious/depressed behavior, attention problems, delinquent behavior, and aggressive behavior and to assess the significance of genetic and common environmental influences on the temperament and behavior relations. METHOD: Parental responses to the Child Behavior Checklist and the EAS Temperament Survey were collected from five national cohorts of Norwegian same-sex twins. The final sample consisted of 759 twin pairs aged 7 through 17 at 2-year follow-up. RESULTS: High emotionality predicted anxious/depressed behavior, attention problems, delinquent behavior, and aggressive behavior. The influence on delinquent and aggressive behavior was stronger in boys. Aggressive behavior was further predicted by high activity scores, especially in younger children. Significant genetic influence was found for the covariance between emotionality and attention problems and emotionality and aggressive behavior. CONCLUSION: Emotionality was the strongest temperamental predictor of behavior problems. The mechanisms involved in the associations between temperament and behavior problems appeared to differ with kind of behavior problems.
Subject(s)
Child Behavior Disorders/genetics , Child Behavior Disorders/psychology , Environment , Temperament , Twins/psychology , Adolescent , Child , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , MaleABSTRACT
This study analyzed the genetic and environmental influences on internalizing and externalizing behavior problems and the nature of their cooccurrence in the national Norwegian twin sample. The sample comprised 526 identical and 389 fraternal same-sexed twin pairs from five to birth cohorts, aged 5-6, 8-9, 12-13, 13-14, and 14-15 years. Behavior problems were assessed by parental ratings on the Child Behavior Checklist. A model of additive genetic, shared, and nonshared environmental influences was fitted to both internalizing and externalizing behavior on four sex and age groups. The considerable covariance, r = .51 to .58, between these traits is accounted for mainly by common environmental components; this effect was most marked in the 5 to 9-year olds. Concordance rates for children scoring above 1 standard deviation from the total sample mean on the internalizing scale only, externalizing problems only than for combined problems.
Subject(s)
Affective Symptoms/genetics , Child Behavior , Conduct Disorder/genetics , Adolescent , Adolescent Behavior , Affective Symptoms/epidemiology , Affective Symptoms/psychology , Child , Child, Preschool , Comorbidity , Conduct Disorder/epidemiology , Conduct Disorder/psychology , Family Characteristics , Female , Humans , Male , Twins, Dizygotic , Twins, MonozygoticABSTRACT
The present study addresses the issue of differential heritability with increasing severity of parent-reported internalizing and externalizing behavior problems assessed by the Child Behavior Checklist. The sample includes 526 identical and 389 fraternal same-sexed twin pairs from five national birth cohorts, aged 5-6, 8-9, and 12-15 years. Heritability (h2), common environment (c2), and changes in these parameters as a function of proband score were analyzed by multiple regression models (Cherny et al., 1992). Internalizing and externalizing behavior showed significant heritability. A small increment in h2 and a reduction of c2 with increasing severity of externalizing behavior were independent of sex and age. For internalizing behavior h2 increased and c2 declined with increasing severity for the 5-6 and 8-9 year olds. Logarithmic transformation of scores lowered h2 and increased c2, particularly for externalizing behavior. The changes in heritability with severity were nonsignificant for the transformed variables.
Subject(s)
Child Behavior Disorders/genetics , Diseases in Twins/genetics , Phenotype , Social Environment , Adolescent , Child , Child Behavior Disorders/psychology , Child, Preschool , Cohort Studies , Diseases in Twins/psychology , Female , Humans , Internal-External Control , Male , Norway , Personality Assessment , Twins, Dizygotic/genetics , Twins, Dizygotic/psychology , Twins, Monozygotic/genetics , Twins, Monozygotic/psychologyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To assess the genetic and environmental influences on attention problems in a general population twin sample and to investigate whether there are changes in the relative genetic influence on attention problems with increasing severity. METHOD: Parental ratings of the Child Behavior Checklist were collected from five Norwegian national cohorts of same-sex twins. The sample comprises 526 identical and 389 fraternal pairs. RESULTS: Considerable genetic influence on attention problems was found for both sexes and across age groups (aged 5 to 9 years and 12 to 15 years). A two-parameter model with additive genetic influence and nonshared environment showed a good fit, with heritability ranging from .73 in boys aged 5 to 9 years, to .76 in girls aged 5 to 9 years. There was no change in the relative genetic influence across severity after accounting for the influence of cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and low birth weight. CONCLUSION: The results indicate a substantial genetic influence on attention problems across sex, age, and severity.
Subject(s)
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/genetics , Social Environment , Adolescent , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/diagnosis , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/psychology , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Norway , Personality Assessment , Risk Factors , Twins, Dizygotic/genetics , Twins, Dizygotic/psychology , Twins, Monozygotic/genetics , Twins, Monozygotic/psychologyABSTRACT
Generalization from twin studies relies on the assumption that liability to develop the disorder which is studied is influenced by similar factors in twins and singletons. The present study examines the impact of pre- and perinatal factors on parental reports of behaviour problems in 1832 twins, and compares level of attention problems, internalizing and externalizing behaviour in the twins with 723 children and adolescents from a general population sample. The modest influence of relative birth weight and birth order on level of attention problems in twins did not contribute to significant differences between twins and the general population sample. The levels of attention problems and externalizing behaviour was similar and there was a modest age dependent difference in internalizing behaviour. An increased variance was found for externalizing behaviour in twins.
