Conduct problems in children and adolescents: a twin study

Scourfield, Jane, van den Bree, Marianne Bernadette ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4426-3254, Martin, Neilson and McGuffin, Peter 2004. Conduct problems in children and adolescents: a twin study. Archives of General Psychiatry 61 (5) , pp. 489-496. 10.1001/archpsyc.61.5.489

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Evidence supports a genetic influence on conduct problems as a continuous measure of behavior and as a diagnostic category. However, there is a lack of studies using a genetically informative design combined with several different informants and different settings. OBJECTIVES: To examine genetic and environmental influences on conduct problems rated by parent and teacher reports and self-reports and to determine whether their ratings reflect a common underlying phenotype. DESIGN: A twin study design was used to examine conduct problem scores from ratings by teachers, parents, and twins themselves. SETTING: General community. PARTICIPANTS: Twins aged 5 to 17 years participating in the Cardiff Study of All Wales and North England Twins (CaStANET) project. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Conduct problem scale from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. RESULTS: Conduct problem scores were significantly heritable based on parent and teacher reports and self-reports. Combining data from all 3 informants showed that they are rating a common underlying phenotype of pervasive conduct problems that is entirely genetic, while teacher ratings show separate genetic influences that are not shared with other raters. CONCLUSIONS: Conduct problems are significantly heritable based on parent and teacher reports and self-reports, and are also influenced by environmental effects that impinge uniquely on children from the same family. There is a cross-situational conduct problems' phenotype, underlying the behavior measured by all informants, that is wholly genetic in origin. No significant influence of shared environmental effects was found.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics (CNGG) Medicine Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute (NMHRI)
Subjects:	R Medicine > R Medicine (General)
ISSN:	0003990X
Last Modified:	17 Oct 2022 08:37
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/601

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