A twin study of anxiety‐related behaviours in pre‐school children

Eley, Thalia C.; Bolton, Derek; O’Connor, Thomas G.; Perrin, Sean; Smith, Patrick; Plomin, Robert

doi:10.1111/1469-7610.00179

Cited by 288 publications

(247 citation statements)

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“…Specifically, for aggression and withdrawn behaviors, genetic influences were stronger for girls and shared environmental influences were stronger for boys (Derks et al, 2004), whereas the reverse was true for overall externalizing problems on the CBCL broadband Externalizing scale (Bartels et al, 2004). van der Valk et al, 2001), in the TEDS sample, anxiety-related behaviors displayed significant and substantial shared environmental influences (Eley et al, 2003). These findings highlight the need to consider the extent to which empirical results converge across different measures.…”

Section: Nih Public Accessmentioning

confidence: 88%

The etiology of behavioral problems and competencies in very young twins.

Saudino

Carter

Purper-Ouakil

et al. 2008

Journal of Abnormal Psychology

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Although genetic and environmental influences on behavior problems in middle childhood and adolescence have been well-studied, little is known about the etiology of behavior problems in very early childhood. The present study explores genetic and environmental contributions to individual differences in behavior problems and competences in an infant-toddler sample of twins. There were 1,950 twin pairs (mean age = 23.8 months) who were rated by parents on the InfantToddler Social and Emotional Assessment. All four domains (Externalizing, Internalizing, Dysregulation, Competence) and 20 subscales-indices on the Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment displayed significant heritability. There were also substantial shared environmental influences operating on most of the domains and subscales. Compared with behavior problems, behavioral competencies were less heritable and more influenced by shared environments. Keywords twins; behavior problems; genetics; model fittingThe toddler period may be a critical time for the early emergence of clinically significant problem behaviors (Campbell, 1985;Keenan & Wakschlag, 2000). Externalizing problems (e.g., aggression, conduct disorders, hyperactivity) and internalizing problems (e.g., anxiety, depression, and emotional problems) can be reliably identified in very early childhood and show considerable stability across age (e.g., Briggs-Gowan et al., 2006;Campbell, Pierce, March, Ewing, & Szumowski, 1994; Fischer, Rolf, Haszi, & Cummings, 1984;Keenan, Shaw, Delliquadri, Giovannelli, & Walsh, 1998;Lavigne et al., 1998;Mathiesen & Sanson, 2000;Olson, Bates, Sandy, & Lanthier, 2000). Toddlers who display problem behaviors are at risk for a variety of nonoptimal developmental outcomes including poor academic performance, conflictual parent-child interactions, peer rejection, delinquency, and later Copyright 2008 by the American Psychological Association Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Kimberly J. Saudino, Department of Psychology, Boston University, 64 Cummington Street, Boston, MA 02215. ksaudino@bu.edu. maladjustment (e.g., Caspi, Moffitt, Newman, & Silva, 1996;Hofstra, van der Ende, & Verhulst, 2002;Patterson, DeBaryshe, & Ramsey, 1989;Stevenson & Goodman, 2001). Given their developmental significance, it is important to understand the factors that influence problem behaviors in very young children. NIH Public AccessThe etiology of behavior problems in middle childhood and adolescence has been well studied. Twin and adoption studies examining externalizing, internalizing, and related behavior problems consistently reveal substantial genetic influence, with heritabilities in the range of .40-.70 (e.g., Bartels et al., 2003Bartels et al., , 2004Edelbrock, Rende, Plomin, & Thompson, 1995;Leve, Winebarger, Fagot, Reid, & Goldsmith, 1998;Saudino, Ronald, & Plomin, 2005). The influence of shared environments on behavior problems is typically more modest, explaining between 0% and 40% of the variance in behavior problems (e.g., Bartels et...

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Section: Nih Public Accessmentioning

confidence: 88%

The etiology of behavioral problems and competencies in very young twins.

Saudino

Carter

Purper-Ouakil

et al. 2008

Journal of Abnormal Psychology

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“…This fear typically diminishes dramatically during early childhood (Muris, Meesters, Merckelbach, Sermon, & Zwakhalen, 1998), an age when fear-based anxiety disorders, such as separation anxiety disorder, social phobia, and specific phobias, are likely to onset (Kessler et al, 2005). Fear in these young children has significant genetic overlap with shyness/inhibition (62%) and negative mood (53%; Eley et al, 2003), suggesting developmental continuity with later internalizing disorders that share these traits, particularly disorders in the FA subfactor. These disorders are characterized by behavioral constraint (Krueger, 1999a) and intense physiological hyperarousal (PH), such as heart racing, sweating, and shortness of breath particularly in response to stressors (Cuthbert et al, 2003;Hofmann, Moscovitch, & Kim, 2006;Martin-Soelch, Stocklin, Dammann, Opwis, & Seifritz, 2006).…”

Section: Physiological Hyperarousal Liabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

An Integrative Common Liabilities Model for the Comorbidity of Substance Use Disorders with Externalizing and Internalizing Disorders

Tully

Iacono

2014

Oxford Handbooks Online

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This paper presents an integrative research-derived model to explain comorbidity among SUDs, externalizing disorders, and internalizing disorders. This hierarchical model is based on phenotypic covariance among the disorders and latent common genetic liability. At the highest level of the hierarchy, general genetically-influenced biological dispositions to negative emotionality and behavioral disinhibition each give rise to spectra of related personality traits, cognitive processes, behavioral tendencies, and psychopathology that account for the pattern of co-occurrence among mental disorders. At the lowest level of the hierarchy, disorder-specific genetic and environmental effects explain the presence of some and not other disorders associated with a given general liability. Interplay between the general liabilities and both other genes and environmental factors throughout development affect the likelihood of developing specific mental disorders.

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“…For example, events that involve exposure to dangerous circumstances, such as exposure to violent acts, typically produce characteristic signs of fear in a child, whereas events that involve exposure to loss of vital relationships, such as decreased contact with a loved one, typically produce characteristic signs of dysphoria (Eley and Stevenson, 2000). Such distinctions between fear-and griefrelated reactions can be made relatively reliably, even among preschool children (Eley et al, 2003). In this area of research, events involving fear have been shown to exhibit close links to anxiety disorders, whereas events involving loss have been shown to exhibit close links to mood disorders (Eley and Stevenson, 2000;Kendler et al, 2003).…”

Section: Stress Trauma and Psychopathology In Children And Adolescentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trauma, Proximity, and Developmental Psychopathology: The Effects of War and Terrorism on Children

Pine

Costello

Masten

2005

Neuropsychopharmacol

136

121

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This report summarizes recent literature relevant to the effects of terrorism on children's mental health. The paper addresses three aspects of this topic. In the first section of the paper, data are reviewed concerning the relationships among stress, trauma, and developmental psychopathology. A particular emphasis is placed on associations with indirect forms of trauma, given that terrorism involves high levels of indirect trauma. Second, the paper delineates a set of key principles to be considered when considering ways in which the effects of terrorism on children's mental health can be minimized. Third, data are reviewed from studies in developmental psychobiology. These data are designed to illustrate the mechanisms through which children exhibit unique effects in the wake of traumatic circumstances.

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A twin study of anxiety‐related behaviours in pre‐school children

Cited by 288 publications

References 82 publications

The etiology of behavioral problems and competencies in very young twins.

The etiology of behavioral problems and competencies in very young twins.

An Integrative Common Liabilities Model for the Comorbidity of Substance Use Disorders with Externalizing and Internalizing Disorders

Trauma, Proximity, and Developmental Psychopathology: The Effects of War and Terrorism on Children

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