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Dings A, Spinath FM. Sports club participation impacts life satisfaction in adolescence: A twin study. PSYCHOLOGY OF SPORT AND EXERCISE 2024; 73:102639. [PMID: 38615900 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2024.102639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
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Campbell AC, Calais-Ferreira L, Hahn E, Spinath FM, Hopper JL, Young JT. Familial confounding of internalising symptoms and obesity in adolescents and young adults; a co-twin analysis. Int J Obes (Lond) 2024; 48:876-883. [PMID: 38360935 PMCID: PMC11129947 DOI: 10.1038/s41366-024-01491-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2023] [Revised: 01/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Obesity and internalising disorders, including depression and anxiety, often co-occur. There is evidence that familial confounding contributes to the co-occurrence of internalising disorders and obesity in adults. However, its impact on this association among young people is unclear. Our study investigated the extent to which familial factors confound the association between internalising disorders and obesity in adolescents and young adults. SUBJECTS/METHODS We used a matched co-twin design to investigate the impact of confounding by familial factors on associations between internalising symptoms and obesity in a sample of 4018 twins aged 16 to 27 years. RESULTS High levels of internalising symptoms compared to low levels increased the odds of obesity for the whole cohort (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 3.1, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.5, 6.8), and in females (AOR = 4.1, 95% CI 1.5, 11.1), but not in males (AOR = 2.8 95% CI 0.8, 10.0). We found evidence that internalising symptoms were associated with an increased between-pair odds of obesity (AOR 6.2, 95% CI 1.7, 22.8), using the paired analysis but not using a within-pair association, which controls for familial confounding. Sex-stratified analyses indicated high internalising symptoms were associated with increased between-pair odds of obesity for females (AOR 12.9, 95% CI 2.2, 76.8), but this attenuated to the null using within-pair analysis. We found no evidence of between or within-pair associations for males and weak evidence that sex modified the association between internalising symptoms and obesity (likelihood ratio test p = 0.051). CONCLUSIONS Some familial factors shared by twins confound the association between internalising symptoms and obesity in adolescent and young adult females. Internalising symptoms and obesity were not associated for adolescent and young adult males. Therefore, prevention and treatment efforts should especially address familial shared determinants of obesity, particularly targeted at female adolescents and young adults with internalising symptoms and those with a family history of these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Charles Campbell
- Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
- Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
- Justice Health Group, School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.
| | - Lucas Calais-Ferreira
- Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Justice Health Group, School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
- Centre for Mental Health and Community Wellbeing, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Elisabeth Hahn
- Department of Psychology, Saarland University, Saarbruecken, Germany
| | - Frank M Spinath
- Department of Psychology, Saarland University, Saarbruecken, Germany
| | - John L Hopper
- Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Jesse T Young
- Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
- National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
- Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, OC, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, OC, Canada
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Calais-Ferreira L, Armstrong G, Hahn E, Newton-Howes G, Foulds J, Hopper JL, Spinath FM, Kurdyak P, Young JT. Mental disorders and discrimination: A prospective cohort study of young twin pairs in Germany. SSM Popul Health 2024; 25:101622. [PMID: 38380053 PMCID: PMC10877176 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2024.101622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Mental disorders and perceived discrimination share common risk factors. The association between having a mental disorder and experiencing discrimination is well-known, but the extent to which familial factors, such as genetic and shared environmental factors, might confound this association, including sex differences in familial confounding, remains unexplored. Aims We investigated potential unmeasured familial confounding in the association between mental disorders and perceived discrimination using a matched twin study design. Method We examined data from 2044 same-sex twin pairs (n = 4088) aged 16-25 years from the German population-based study 'TwinLife'. We applied random-effects logistic regression to within-individual and within-and-between pair models of the association between mental disorder and perceived discrimination, and used likelihood ratio tests (LRTs) to compare these models. Multivariable models were adjusted for body mass index, educational attainment, and life satisfaction. Results There were 322 (8.1%) participants with a diagnosed mental disorder, and 15% (n = 604) of the cohort reported having experienced discrimination in the previous 12 months. Mental disorder and discrimination were associated in the adjusted within-individual model (adjusted odds ratio = 2.19, 95% confidence interval: 1.42-3.39, P<0.001). However, the within-and-between pair model showed that this association was explained by the within-pair mean (aOR = 4.24, 95% CI: 2.17-8.29, P<0.001) and not the within-pair difference (aOR = 1.26, 95% CI: 0.70-2.28, P = 0.4) of mental disorder. Therefore, this association was mostly explained by familial confounding, which is also supported by the LRTs for the unadjusted and adjusted models (P<0.001 and P = 0.03, respectively). This familial confounding was more prominent for males than females. Conclusions Our findings show that the association between mental disorder and discrimination is at least partially explained by unmeasured familial factors. Designing family-based healthcare models and incorporating family members in interventions targeted at ameliorating mental ill-health and experiences of discrimination among adolescents may improve efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Calais-Ferreira
- Centre for Mental Health and Community Wellbeing, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children's Research Institute and Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Justice Health Group, School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Gregory Armstrong
- Nossal Institute for Global Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Elisabeth Hahn
- Department of Psychology, Saarland University, Saarbruecken, Germany
| | - Giles Newton-Howes
- Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - James Foulds
- Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - John L. Hopper
- Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Frank M. Spinath
- Department of Psychology, Saarland University, Saarbruecken, Germany
| | - Paul Kurdyak
- ICES, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jesse T. Young
- Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children's Research Institute and Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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Holzwarth B, Wolf C. Parental resources and heritability as factors shaping children's health. An analysis of twins' self-rated health using TwinLife. FRONTIERS IN SOCIOLOGY 2023; 8:1136896. [PMID: 37440777 PMCID: PMC10333594 DOI: 10.3389/fsoc.2023.1136896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
We assess the relative and joint contributions of genetic and environmental factors on health during childhood and assume that parental resources are part of the environmental factors shaping children's health. We discuss theoretical background and empirical evidence concerning the effects of parental resources and heritability on children's health. Based on these findings we formulate six hypotheses guiding our empirical analysis, using data from TwinLife, a nationally representative sample of same sex twin pairs in Germany. We analyze self-rated health of 1,584 twin pairs aged 4-18. We did find strong support for the idea that parental resources influence children's health: household income and fathers' education consistently show positive effects. In contrast to our expectation, we did not find that genetic factors influence the health of well-off children less than the health of children living in families with lower SES. We also did not find that the genetic influence on health increases during childhood and adolescence. On the contrary our results indicate that the role played by genetic factors diminishes whereas environmental factors gain importance for health of children while growing up. This finding is good news for those interested in improving health chances of children from lower SES backgrounds because it demonstrates the malleability of children's health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bärbel Holzwarth
- School of Social Sciences, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Christof Wolf
- School of Social Sciences, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
- GESIS Leibniz-Institute for the Social Sciences, Mannheim, Germany
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Mueller IM, Spinath FM, Friese M, Hahn E. Genetics, parenting, and family functioning-What drives the development of self-control from adolescence to adulthood? J Pers 2023; 91:332-353. [PMID: 35514264 DOI: 10.1111/jopy.12723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Self-control is a meaningful predictor of crucial life outcomes. Knowingly, genes contribute substantially to differences in self-control, but behavioral genetic findings are often misinterpreted regarding environmental influences. Therefore, we reinvestigate the heritability of self-control as well as potential environmental influences, namely parenting and a chaotic home environment. METHOD We used cross-sectional and longitudinal data from the German twin family study TwinLife (N = 3354 individuals), structured in a multicohort design in which 13-, 19-, and 25-year-old twins rated their self-control, parents' behavior, and home environment. RESULTS Results showed increasing mean levels and 1-year stabilities for self-control accompanied by substantial genetic influences, increasing particularly from ages 19 to 25 (53% to 76%). While chaotic home environments and negative parenting were phenotypically associated with lower self-control, twin difference models revealed that differences in these individually perceived "environments" directly predicted self-control differences (β = -0.16 to -0.28) within families when controlling for genetic and environmental similarities. CONCLUSIONS In addition to the genetic anchoring of self-control, results indicate that environmental factors such as negative family environments are meaningful and depend on individual perceptions within families. Interventions for enhancing self-control should, therefore, rely on individual perspectives rather than objective characteristics of home environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ida M Mueller
- Department of Psychology, Saarland University, Saarbruecken, Germany
| | - Frank M Spinath
- Department of Psychology, Saarland University, Saarbruecken, Germany
| | - Malte Friese
- Department of Psychology, Saarland University, Saarbruecken, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Hahn
- Department of Psychology, Saarland University, Saarbruecken, Germany
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Kim Y, Gaspard H, Fleischmann M, Nagengast B, Trautwein U. What Happens With Comparison Processes When “the Other” is Very Similar? Academic Self-Concept Formation in Twins. CONTEMPORARY EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cedpsych.2022.102138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Hoffmann C, Kornadt AE. A Chip Off the Old Block? The Relationship of Family Factors and Young Adults' Views on Aging. Front Psychol 2022; 13:808386. [PMID: 35250740 PMCID: PMC8894590 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.808386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Views on aging (VoA), such as self-perceptions of aging or age stereotypes are generated in early childhood and continue to develop throughout the entire lifespan. The ideas a person has about their own aging and aging in general influence their behavior toward older persons as well as their own actual aging, which is why VoA are already important in adolescence and young adulthood. The current study investigates VoA of young adults in different domains (continued growth, physical decline, social loss) and how different family aspects are related to VoA. From February to March 2021, N = 305 young adults [aged 18-30 years, M age(SD) = 22.20 (2.60)] participated in an online survey, in which, in addition to sociodemographic variables and family aspects (contact with grandparents, family age climate, i.e., the frequency and valence of talking about age in the family), self-perceptions of aging, age stereotypes, and the young adults' ratings of their parents' VoA were assessed. The results of stepwise regression analyses predicting the young adults' VoA, revealed significant associations between the quality of contact with grandparents and the self-perceptions of aging of young adults. However, the frequency of contact was neither related to young adults' self-perceptions of aging nor age stereotypes. Grandparents' health status emerged as a significant moderator between the relationship of contact quality and the young adults' self-perceptions of aging as continued growth and physical decline. Family climate was also found to be significantly related to young adults' self-perceptions of aging. Similarities regarding VoA within the family were demonstrated, based on proxy report from the respondents. The results underline the importance of family aspects for the development of VoA in young adulthood, and the significance of interventions targeting these factors to combat ageism.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anna E. Kornadt
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
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Starr A, Riemann R. Chasing Environmental Influences on School Grades in Childhood and Adolescence. CONTEMPORARY EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cedpsych.2022.102043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Enck P, Goebel-Stengel M, Rieß O, Hübener-Schmid J, Kagan KO, Nieß AM, Tümmers H, Wiesing U, Zipfel S, Stengel A. [Twin research in Germany]. Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz 2021; 64:1298-1306. [PMID: 34524474 PMCID: PMC8441034 DOI: 10.1007/s00103-021-03400-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg wurden weltweit Zwillingskohorten aufgebaut, die inzwischen ca. 1,5 Mio. Zwillinge umfassen und zwischen 1950 und 2012 über 2748 Zwillingsstudien hervorgebracht haben. Diese Zahl steigt jedes Jahr um weitere 500 bis 1000. Die Unterrepräsentanz deutscher Zwillingsstudien in diesen Datenbanken lässt sich nicht allein durch den Missbrauch medizinischer Forschung im Nationalsozialismus erklären. Entwicklung und Ausbau großer Zwillingskohorten sind ethisch und datenschutzrechtlich eine Herausforderung. Zwillingskohorten ermöglichen jedoch die Langzeit- und Echtzeiterforschung vieler medizinischer Fragestellungen; und die Zwillingsstudien tragen auch nach der Entschlüsselung des Humangenoms erheblich zur Beantwortung der Frage nach Anlage oder Umwelt als mögliche Erkrankungsauslöser bei. Derzeit gibt es 2 deutsche Zwillingskohorten: die biomedizinische Kohorte HealthTwiSt mit ca. 1500 Zwillingspaaren und TwinLife, eine soziologisch-psychologische Kohorte mit ca. 4000 Zwillingspaaren. Daneben gibt es krankheitsspezifische Kohorten. 2016 startete das TwinHealth-Konsortium der Medizinischen Fakultät der Universität Tübingen mit dem Ziel, eine forschungsoffene und nachhaltige Zwillingsforschung am Standort Tübingen zur Bearbeitung unterschiedlicher Fragestellungen zu etablieren. Der Artikel bietet mithilfe einer systematischen Literaturrecherche und einer medizinhistorischen Betrachtung einen Überblick über die weltweite und nationale Entwicklung von Zwillingsstudien und -datenbanken der letzten 100 Jahre. Anhand der Tübinger TwinHealth-Initiative beleuchtet er den Aufbau eines Zwillingskollektivs und dessen juristische, ethische und Datenschutzaspekte.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Enck
- Innere Medizin VI, Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Osianderstr. 5, 72076, Tübingen, Deutschland
| | - Miriam Goebel-Stengel
- Innere Medizin VI, Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Osianderstr. 5, 72076, Tübingen, Deutschland. .,Klinik für Innere Medizin, Helios Klinik Rottweil, Rottweil, Deutschland.
| | - Olaf Rieß
- Institut für Medizinische Genetik und Angewandte Genomik, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Tübingen, Deutschland
| | - Jeannette Hübener-Schmid
- Institut für Medizinische Genetik und Angewandte Genomik, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Tübingen, Deutschland
| | - Karl Oliver Kagan
- Department für Frauengesundheit, Universitäts-Frauenklinik, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Tübingen, Deutschland
| | - Andreas Michael Nieß
- Innere Medizin V, Sportmedizin, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Tübingen, Deutschland
| | - Henning Tümmers
- Institut für Ethik und Geschichte der Medizin, Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Deutschland
| | - Urban Wiesing
- Institut für Ethik und Geschichte der Medizin, Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Deutschland
| | - Stephan Zipfel
- Innere Medizin VI, Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Osianderstr. 5, 72076, Tübingen, Deutschland
| | - Andreas Stengel
- Innere Medizin VI, Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Osianderstr. 5, 72076, Tübingen, Deutschland
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Dings A, Spinath FM. Motivational and personality variables distinguish academic underachievers from high achievers, low achievers, and overachievers. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF EDUCATION 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11218-021-09659-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
AbstractPrevious studies have associated several variables concerning motivation and other domains with underachievement, i. e. a student's academic achievement falling short of what their cognitive abilities, as the best predictor of academic performance, would indicate. The present study extends these findings using a more rigorous approach in defining underachievers and suitable control groups. Using discriminant analysis, underachievers identified in a German twin family study were compared not only to achievers with comparable IQ scores, but also with students of lower aptitude, but comparably low grades, as well as overachieving students. Results confirm previous findings that compared to successful students, underachievers report lower levels of motivation and parental support; beyond this comparison, underachievers also differed from other low achievers, mostly in terms of their personality. In total, 40% of the variance between the groups were explained. Additionally, the data shed doubt on the common assumption that underachievers are an unusually heterogenous group of students.
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How do educational inequalities develop? The role of socioeconomic status, cognitive ability, home environment, and self-efficacy along the educational path. INTELLIGENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2021.101528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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