ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Vulnerability to depression can be measured in different ways. We here examine how genetic risk factors are inter-related for lifetime major depression (MD), self-report current depressive symptoms and the personality trait Neuroticism. METHOD: We obtained data from three population-based adult twin samples (Virginia n = 4672, Australia #1 n = 3598 and Australia #2 n = 1878) to which we fitted a common factor model where risk for 'broadly defined depression' was indexed by (i) lifetime MD assessed at personal interview, (ii) depressive symptoms, and (iii) neuroticism. We examined the proportion of genetic risk for MD deriving from the common factor v. specific to MD in each sample and then analyzed them jointly. Structural equation modeling was conducted in Mx. RESULTS: The best fit models in all samples included additive genetic and unique environmental effects. The proportion of genetic effects unique to lifetime MD and not shared with the broad depression common factor in the three samples were estimated as 77, 61, and 65%, respectively. A cross-sample mega-analysis model fit well and estimated that 65% of the genetic risk for MD was unique. CONCLUSION: A large proportion of genetic risk factors for lifetime MD was not, in the samples studied, captured by a common factor for broadly defined depression utilizing MD and self-report measures of current depressive symptoms and Neuroticism. The genetic substrate for MD may reflect neurobiological processes underlying the episodic nature of its cognitive, motor and neurovegetative manifestations, which are not well indexed by current depressive symptom and neuroticism.
Subject(s)
Depressive Disorder, Major/genetics , Diseases in Twins/genetics , Neurotic Disorders/genetics , Personality/genetics , Adult , Australia/epidemiology , Comorbidity , Depressive Disorder, Major/diagnosis , Depressive Disorder, Major/epidemiology , Diseases in Twins/epidemiology , Extraversion, Psychological , Female , Genetic Predisposition to Disease , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Models, Genetic , Neurotic Disorders/diagnosis , Neurotic Disorders/epidemiology , Personality Inventory/statistics & numerical data , Psychometrics , Risk Factors , Sex Factors , Twins, Dizygotic/genetics , Twins, Dizygotic/psychology , Twins, Dizygotic/statistics & numerical data , Twins, Monozygotic/genetics , Twins, Monozygotic/psychology , Twins, Monozygotic/statistics & numerical data , Virginia/epidemiologyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The authors' goal was to explore the relation between perfectionism and psychopathology, including eating disorders. METHOD: Using logistic regression, the authors calculated odds ratios for the associations between perfectionism subscale scores and psychiatric disorders in 1,010 female twins who completed the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale and participated in diagnostic interviews. RESULTS: Elevated concern over mistakes was associated with anorexia and bulimia nervosa but not with other psychiatric disorders. Doubts about actions was associated with eating and anxiety disorders. Multivariable models confirmed that higher scores on the subscales for concern over mistakes and doubts about actions were most strongly associated with eating disorders. CONCLUSIONS: The aspect of perfectionism captured by scores on a subscale measuring concern over mistakes may be particularly associated with eating disorders and not generically predictive of psychopathology.