Increased depressive and anxiety symptoms in non-heterosexual individuals: moderation by childhood factors using a twin design

Oginni, Olakunle Ayokunmi, Alanko, Katarina, Jern, Patrick and Rijsdijk, Frühling Vesta 2022. Increased depressive and anxiety symptoms in non-heterosexual individuals: moderation by childhood factors using a twin design. Journal of Affective Disorders 297 , pp. 508-516. 10.1016/j.jad.2021.10.095

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

Background Evidence indicates that minority stress does not sufficiently explain mental health disparities in non-heterosexual compared to heterosexual individuals. We investigated alternative mechanisms whereby childhood factors (childhood gender nonconformity, early-life adversities and parent-child interactions) moderate the relationships between sexual orientation and depressive and anxiety symptoms. Methods The sample comprised twin pairs from the Finnish Genetics of Sexuality and Aggression cohort (n = 3166 individuals, mean age = 37.5 ± 2.93 years). Twin analyses using structural equation modelling was performed in OpenMx. Specifically, we tested whether childhood factors differentially moderated the underlying genetic and environmental influences on the relationships between sexual orientation, and depressive and anxiety symptoms. Results The associations between non-heterosexuality, and depressive and anxiety symptoms (r = 0.09, 0.10 respectively) were significantly influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. The genetic influences explaining the relationships of sexual orientation with depressive and anxiety symptoms were maximal at high levels of childhood gender nonconformity (βA = 0.09 and 0.11 respectively) whereas the individual-specific environmental influences on these relationships were maximal at lower levels of childhood gender nonconformity (βE = -0.10). Limitations Childhood factors were assessed retrospectively in a cross-sectional design. Conclusions Childhood gender nonconformity is associated with increased genetic and decreased individual-specific environmental influences on mental health among non-heterosexual individuals. Childhood gender nonconformity may, thus, enhance genetic risk and non-genetic protective processes for depressive and anxiety symptoms among non-heterosexual individuals.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Medicine
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0165-0327
Date of Acceptance:	23 October 2021
Last Modified:	22 May 2024 08:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/168286

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item