A Twin Study about Genetic Effects on Mental Health Development of Children_Chinese Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine

Authors：

1. Mental Health Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China;2. Mental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China;

Corresponding author：

Keywords：

Twins; Mental health; Genetic; Development and Well-Bing Assessment (DAWBA)

DOI：

10.7507/1672-2531.20100403

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Objective 　To investigate the impact of genetic factors on mental health status in child and adolescent twins.
Methods 　A total of 102 pairs of twins aged 6 to 16 years were recruited with the support from educational committees and schools. After the guardians of these twins had signed an informed consent form, the Chinese version growth and the state of health evaluation (Development and Well-Bing Assessment, DAWBA) were completed by the parents of these twins to investigate their mental health status. Buccal mucosa samples were collected from all twins for DNA extraction and zygosity identification test.
Result 　A total of 102 pairs of twins were recruited, among whom 93 pairs finished the investigation, including 50 monozygotic pairs and 43 dizygotic pairs. The results of emotional symptoms and behavior symptoms and the impact of symptoms from the DAWBA screening questionnaire showed that the intrapair correlation coeficien of the emotional disorder and the oppositional/conduct disorder and the impact in monozygotic twins were more remarkable than those in dizygotie twins, including separation anxiety (MZ group correlation coefficient (r) = 0.821, P lt;0.01; DZ group r=0.348, P lt;0.01), generalized anxiety (MZ group r=0.546, P lt;0.01; DZ group r=0.309, P lt;0.01), a special terror symptoms (MZ group r=0.849, P lt;0.01; DZ group r=0.726, P lt;0.01 ), and oppositional defiant / conduct disorder (MZ group r=0.237, P lt;0.01; DZ group r=0.163, P lt;0.01), attention deficit - hyperactivity disorder (MZ group r=0.640, P lt;0.01; DZ group r=0.198, P lt;0.01), autistic symptoms (MZ group r=0.680, P lt;0.01; DZ group r=0.372, P lt;0.01).
Conclusion 　Genetic factors play an important role in mental health status of child twins.

Citation： QIN Qing,FU Yixiao,MENG Huaqing,LI Tao,LUO Qinghua,OU Ying,CHEN Pinhong,DU Lian,QIU Haitang,GAO Yufeng,ZHENG Yuping,QIU Tian. A Twin Study about Genetic Effects on Mental Health Development of Children. Chinese Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, 2010, 10(3): 311-315. doi: 10.7507/1672-2531.20100403 Copy

1.	郭兰婷, 单友荷, 周在东, 等. 学龄儿童的抑郁. 中国心理卫生杂志, 1998, 12(3): 151-154.
2.	李晶, 陈莉, 贾娜, 等. 儿童个性特征的双生子研究. 中国行为医学科学, 1998, 7(3): 198-199.
3.	Moya T, Fleitlich-Bilyk B, Goodman R, et al. The Eating Disorders Section of the Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA): development and validation. Rev Bras Psiquiatr, 2005, 27(1): 25-31.
4.	Goodman R, Ford T, Richards H, et al. The development and wellbeing assessment: description and initial validation of an integrated assessment of child and adolescent psychopathology. J Child Psychiatry, 2000, 41(5): 645-655.
5.	Fombonne E, Simmons H, Ford T, et al. Prevalence of pervasive developmental disorders in the british nationwide survey of child mental health. J Am Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 2001, 40(7): 820-827.
6.	Fleitlich-Bilyk B, Goodman R. Prevalence of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders in southeast brazil. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 2004, 43(6): 727-734.
7.	何鑫, 朱鼎良. 应用微星DNA基因分型技术进行双生子卵型鉴定. 中华医学遗传学杂志, 2001, 12(18): 421-425.
8.	Yang MJ, Tzeng CH, Tseng JY, et al. Determination of twin zygosity using a commercially available STR analysis of 15 unlinked loci and the gender-determining marker amelogenin-apreliminary report. Human Reprod, 2006, 21(8): 2175-2179.
9.	黄志碧, 梁秋萍. 直线回归与检验统计分析方法. 广西医学, 1999, 21(4): 656-662.
10.	Gilmour J, Hill B, Place M, et al. Social communication deficits in conduct disorder: a clinical and community survey. J Child Psychol Psychiatry, 2004, 45(5): 967-978.
11.	Scourfiled J, Martin N, Eley TC, et al. The genetic relationship between social cognitionand conduct problems. Behav Genet, 2004, 34(4): 377-383.
12.	Goldsmith HH, Gottesman II. Heritable variability and variable heritability in developmental psychopathology: Frontiers of developmental psychopathology. Oxford University Press: NewYork. 1996.
13.	Galton F. The history of twins, as a criterion of the relative powers of nuture and nuture: The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. RAS: London, 1876.
14.	Siemens HW. The Diagnosis of Identity in Twins. J Hered, 1927, 18(5): 201-209.
15.	黄爱群, 胡永华. 双生子方法在遗传流行病学研究中的应用及进展. 国际遗传学杂志, 2006, 29(5): 346-351.
16.	刘书君. 长处和困难问卷（SDQ）中文版的信度和效度研究. 四川大学硕士论文集. 2006. 6-7.
17.	Hudziak JJ, Derks EM, Althoff RR, et al. The genetic and environmental contributions to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as measured by the conners’ rating scales. Am J Psychiatry, 2005, 162(9): 1614-1620.
18.	Rahman A, Harrington R, Freeman C, et al. Research in child and adolescent psychiatry:Research Methods in Psychiatry. 3rd edition. Gaskell: London, 2006.
19.	Bolton D, Eley TC, O’Connor TG, et al. Prevalence and genetic and environmental influences on anxiety disorders in 6-year-old twins. Psychol Med, 2006, (3): 335-344.

1. 郭兰婷, 单友荷, 周在东, 等. 学龄儿童的抑郁. 中国心理卫生杂志, 1998, 12(3): 151-154.
2. 李晶, 陈莉, 贾娜, 等. 儿童个性特征的双生子研究. 中国行为医学科学, 1998, 7(3): 198-199.
3. Moya T, Fleitlich-Bilyk B, Goodman R, et al. The Eating Disorders Section of the Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA): development and validation. Rev Bras Psiquiatr, 2005, 27(1): 25-31.
4. Goodman R, Ford T, Richards H, et al. The development and wellbeing assessment: description and initial validation of an integrated assessment of child and adolescent psychopathology. J Child Psychiatry, 2000, 41(5): 645-655.
5. Fombonne E, Simmons H, Ford T, et al. Prevalence of pervasive developmental disorders in the british nationwide survey of child mental health. J Am Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 2001, 40(7): 820-827.
6. Fleitlich-Bilyk B, Goodman R. Prevalence of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders in southeast brazil. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 2004, 43(6): 727-734.
7. 何鑫, 朱鼎良. 应用微星DNA基因分型技术进行双生子卵型鉴定. 中华医学遗传学杂志, 2001, 12(18): 421-425.
8. Yang MJ, Tzeng CH, Tseng JY, et al. Determination of twin zygosity using a commercially available STR analysis of 15 unlinked loci and the gender-determining marker amelogenin-apreliminary report. Human Reprod, 2006, 21(8): 2175-2179.
9. 黄志碧, 梁秋萍. 直线回归与检验统计分析方法. 广西医学, 1999, 21(4): 656-662.
10. Gilmour J, Hill B, Place M, et al. Social communication deficits in conduct disorder: a clinical and community survey. J Child Psychol Psychiatry, 2004, 45(5): 967-978.
11. Scourfiled J, Martin N, Eley TC, et al. The genetic relationship between social cognitionand conduct problems. Behav Genet, 2004, 34(4): 377-383.
12. Goldsmith HH, Gottesman II. Heritable variability and variable heritability in developmental psychopathology: Frontiers of developmental psychopathology. Oxford University Press: NewYork. 1996.
13. Galton F. The history of twins, as a criterion of the relative powers of nuture and nuture: The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. RAS: London, 1876.
14. Siemens HW. The Diagnosis of Identity in Twins. J Hered, 1927, 18(5): 201-209.
15. 黄爱群, 胡永华. 双生子方法在遗传流行病学研究中的应用及进展. 国际遗传学杂志, 2006, 29(5): 346-351.
16. 刘书君. 长处和困难问卷（SDQ）中文版的信度和效度研究. 四川大学硕士论文集. 2006. 6-7.
17. Hudziak JJ, Derks EM, Althoff RR, et al. The genetic and environmental contributions to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as measured by the conners’ rating scales. Am J Psychiatry, 2005, 162(9): 1614-1620.
18. Rahman A, Harrington R, Freeman C, et al. Research in child and adolescent psychiatry:Research Methods in Psychiatry. 3rd edition. Gaskell: London, 2006.
19. Bolton D, Eley TC, O’Connor TG, et al. Prevalence and genetic and environmental influences on anxiety disorders in 6-year-old twins. Psychol Med, 2006, (3): 335-344.

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