Observer effects and heritability of childhood attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms

Martin, N., Scourfield, J. and McGuffin, P 2002. Observer effects and heritability of childhood attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms. The British Journal of Psychiatry 180 (3) , pp. 260-265. 10.1192/bjp.180.3.260

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Twin studies have found that childhood attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has a strong genetic component. Estimates of heritability, the extent of non-additive genetic effects and of 'sibling contrast' effects vary between different studies. AIMS: To use multiple informants to assess the extent to which observer effects influence such estimates in an epidemiological sample of twins. METHOD: Questionnaire packs were sent to the families and teachers of twins aged 5-16 years in the Bro Taf region of South Wales. The twins were ascertained from community paediatric registers. RESULTS: Both parent- and teacher- rated data showed a high degree of heritability for ADHD measured as a symptom dimension, but the correlation between the two types of rater was modest. Bivariate analyses suggested that parent and teacher ratings reflect the effects of different genes. Self-report data from twins aged 11-16 years showed no evidence of genetic effects. CONCLUSIONS: Although ADHD is shown to be highly heritable by both parent- and teacher-rated data, the underlying genotypes may be substantially different. This has implications for study designs aiming to find genes that contribute to the disorder.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Medicine
Subjects:	R Medicine > R Medicine (General)
Publisher:	Royal College of Psychiatrists
ISSN:	0007-1250
Last Modified:	27 Nov 2015 11:50
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/82506

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