Dataset Information

On the etiology of internalizing and externalizing problem behavior: A twin-family study.

ABSTRACT: Internalizing and externalizing behavior problems are established risk factors for many unpleasant outcomes and psychopathology in adulthood, and understanding the interplay between genes and environment is important for deducing implications for therapeutic interventions. Among genetic studies on internalizing and externalizing problem behavior, the heritability estimates differ widely. Most research only uses twin data and other-reports, and therefore certain limitations are inevitable. Our study is the first to investigate genetic and environmental influences on problem behavior using a Nuclear Twin Family Design and self-reports, in order to address these limitations. Internalizing and externalizing problem behavior of 3,087 twin pairs (age 11-23), a sibling, and their parents were analyzed with structural equation modeling to estimate heritability separately for each of three twin birth cohorts. Genetic influences account for about one-third of the variance for both internalizing and externalizing. Shared environmental influences were only found for internalizing, and through the advantages of considering data from the whole twin family, firstly could be identified as solely twin-specific. Our findings could contribute to a better understanding of the gap between heritability based on twin studies and DNA-based heritability ('missing heritability problem'): Results indicate that heritability estimates gained via classic twin design and other-reports are slightly overestimated and therefore environmental influences, in general, are more important than previous research suggests. Simultaneously, we showed that family-specific environment either contributes to behavior problems only on an individual level, or that it has a lesser influence than originally thought.

SUBMITTER: Nikstat A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7089526 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

On the etiology of internalizing and externalizing problem behavior: A twin-family study.

Nikstat Amelie A Riemann Rainer R

PloS one 20200323 3

Internalizing and externalizing behavior problems are established risk factors for many unpleasant outcomes and psychopathology in adulthood, and understanding the interplay between genes and environment is important for deducing implications for therapeutic interventions. Among genetic studies on internalizing and externalizing problem behavior, the heritability estimates differ widely. Most research only uses twin data and other-reports, and therefore certain limitations are inevitable. Our st ...[more]

PMID: 32203544

Similar Datasets

Project description:Differences in temperament have been linked to later mental health. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have an increased likelihood of experiencing such problems, including anxiety, depression, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder; yet, relations between early temperament and later mental health are not well understood. In this paper, we assess the relationship between temperament in infancy and internalizing and externalizing behavior at age 5, in 178 children at an increased likelihood of being diagnosed with ASD (i.e., younger siblings of children with ASD). Temperament was assessed using the parent-reported Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ) at 6 and 12 months of age and the Toddler Behavior Assessment Questionnaire-Revised (TBAQ-R) at 24 months of age. Mental health problems were assessed using the parent-reported Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) at age 5. The data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regressions, with individual temperament subscale scores as single predictor variables (Subscale Score) or temperament profiles using confirmatory factor analyses (Person-Centered Profile) in the first block, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule total severity scores at age 3 in the second block, and expressive and receptive language scores (from Mullen Scales of Early Learning) at age 3 in the third block for each model. Three main findings were: (1) 4 of 6 IBQ subscales at both 6 and 12 months significantly predicted internalizing and externalizing problems at age 5; (2) 9 and 8 of 13 TBAQ-R subscales at 24 months significantly predicted internalizing and externalizing problems, respectively, at age 5; and (3) a "sticky attention" temperament profile significantly predicted internalizing problems, whereas a "low-focused" profile significantly predicted externalizing problems, both at age 5. The results of this study support the supposition that temperament is a trans-diagnostic risk factor for later mental health conditions. Exploring temperament profiles and trajectories may illuminate early avenues for prevention in siblings of children with ASD who are at an increased likelihood of experiencing mental health problems, regardless of ASD diagnostic status.

Project description:BackgroundExternalizing and internalizing behaviors contribute to clinical impairment in children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Although associations between externalizing or internalizing behaviors and cortico-amygdalar connectivity have been found in clinical and non-clinical pediatric samples, no previous study has examined whether similar shared associations are present across children with different NDDs.MethodsMulti-modal neuroimaging and behavioral data from the Province of Ontario Neurodevelopmental Disorders (POND) Network were used. POND participants aged 6-18 years with a primary diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), as well as typically developing children (TDC) with T1-weighted, resting-state fMRI or diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and parent-report Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL) data available, were analyzed (total n = 346). Associations between externalizing or internalizing behavior and cortico-amygdalar structural and functional connectivity indices were examined using linear regressions, controlling for age, gender, and image-modality specific covariates. Behavior-by-diagnosis interaction effects were also examined.ResultsNo significant linear associations (or diagnosis-by-behavior interaction effects) were found between CBCL-measured externalizing or internalizing behaviors and any of the connectivity indices examined. Post-hoc bootstrapping analyses indicated stability and reliability of these null results.ConclusionsThe current study provides evidence towards an absence of a shared linear relationship between internalizing or externalizing behaviors and cortico-amygdalar connectivity properties across a transdiagnostic sample of children with different primary NDD diagnoses and TDC. Different methodological approaches, including incorporation of multi-dimensional behavioral data (e.g., task-based fMRI) or clustering approaches may be needed to clarify complex brain-behavior relationships relevant to externalizing/internalizing behaviors in heterogeneous clinical NDD populations.

Project description:Research has consistently documented that the death of a close family member can disrupt a family's functional equilibrium and has a deleterious effect on adolescents' adaptation; however, little attention has been paid to behavioral adaptation of adolescents after a loss in a collective setting. Attempting to fill this research gap, the objectives of the current study are: (1) to identify autonomy support profiles based on two centered figures (parents and head teachers) and (2) to examine whether these emerging profiles may moderate the association between the two dimensions of grit (perseverance and consistency) and externalizing problem behavior in Chinese family-bereaved adolescents. A total of 763 family-bereaved adolescents aged from 13 to 18 years (60.3% girls; M age = 15.74; SD = 1.53) were involved in the current study; they were asked to fill a battery of self-report questionnaires. A latent profile analysis revealed three autonomy support profiles: high parental autonomy support-high teacher autonomy support (HPHT; n = 598), high parental autonomy support-low teacher autonomy support (HPLT; n = 34), and low parental autonomy support-low teacher autonomy support (LPLT; n = 131). Moreover, results from linear regression analyses, after controlling for relevant bereavement variables, sociodemographics, and social desirability, showed that perseverance and consistency were negatively related to externalizing problem behavior for adolescents within the HPHL profile; nevertheless, the association between perseverance and externalizing problem behavior turned to be positive for adolescents within the HPLT profile. The current study sheds light on the variability of the association between grit and family-bereaved adolescents' behavioral adaptation and further enriches the beneficial effect of autonomy support on adaptive functions in a collective cultural setting. The interplay between grit and autonomy support from parents and teachers has a significant influence on buffering externalizing problem behavior among family-bereaved adolescents.

Dataset Information

On the etiology of internalizing and externalizing problem behavior: A twin-family study.

Publications

On the etiology of internalizing and externalizing problem behavior: A twin-family study.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets