Biomedical subjects

David C Rettew

Publications and source records attributed to David C Rettew.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Longitudinal stability of the CBCL-juvenile bipolar disorder phenotype: A study in Dutch twins.

BACKGROUND: The Child Behavior Checklist-juvenile bipolar disorder phenotype (CBCL-JBD) is a quantitative phenotype that is based on parental ratings of the behavior of the child. The phenotype is predictive of DSM-IV characterizations of BD and has been shown to be sensitive and specific. Its genetic architecture differs from that for inattentive, aggressive, or anxious-depressed syndromes. The purpose of this study is to assess the developmental stability of the CBCL-JBD phenotype across ages 7, 10, and 12 years in a large population-based twin sample and to examine its genetic architecture. METHODS: Longitudinal data on Dutch mono- and dizygotic twin pairs (N = 8013 pairs) are analyzed to decompose the stability of the CBCL-JBD phenotype into genetic and environmental contributions. RESULTS: Heritability of the CBCL-JBD increases with age (from 63% to 75%), whereas the effects of shared environment decrease (from 20% to 8%). The stability of the CBCL-JBD phenotype is high, with correlations between .66 and .77 across ages 7, 10, and 12 years. Genetic factors account for the majority of the stability of this phenotype. There were no sex differences in genetic architecture. CONCLUSIONS: Roughly 80% of the stability in childhood CBCL-JBD is a result of additive genetic effects.

Age Factors↗

PubMed2006

Latent class analysis shows strong heritability of the child behavior checklist-juvenile bipolar phenotype.

BACKGROUND: The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) has been used to provide a quantitative description of childhood bipolar disorder (BPAD). Many have reported that children in the clinical range on the Attention Problems (AP), Aggressive Behavior (AGG), and Anxious-Depressed (A/D) syndromes simultaneously are more likely to meet the criteria for childhood BPAD. The purpose of this study was to determine if Latent Class Analysis (LCA) could identify heritable phenotypes representing the CBCL-Juvenile Bipolar (CBCL-JBD) profile and whether this phenotype demonstrates increased frequency of suicidal endorsement. METHODS: The CBCL data were received by survey of mothers of twins in two large twin samples, the Netherlands Twin Registry. The setting for the study was the general community twin sample. Participants included 6246 10-year-old Dutch twins from the Netherlands Twin Registry. The main outcome measure consisted of the LCA on the items comprising the AP, AGG, and A/D subscales and means from the suicidal items #18 and #91 within classes. RESULTS: A 7 class model fit best for girls and an 8 class fit best for boys. The most common class for boys or girls was one with no symptoms. The CBCL-JBD phenotype was the least common--about 4%-5% of the boys and girls. This class was the only one that had significant elevations on the suicidal items of the CBCL. Gender differences were present across latent classes with girls showing no aggression without the CBCL-JBD phenotype and rarely showing attention problems in isolation. Evidence of high heritability of these latent classes was found with odds ratios. CONCLUSIONS: In a general population sample, LCA identifies a CBCL-JBD phenotype latent class that is associated with high rates of suicidality, is highly heritable, and speaks to the comorbidity between attention problems, aggressive behavior, and anxious/depression in children.

Aggression↗

PubMed2006

Interactions between child and parent temperament and child behavior problems.

OBJECTIVE: Few studies of temperament have tested goodness-of-fit theories of child behavior problems. In this study, we test the hypothesis that interactions between child and parent temperament dimensions predict levels of child psychopathology after controlling for the effects of these dimensions individually. METHODS: Temperament and psychopathology were assessed in a total of 175 children (97 boys, 78 girls; mean age, 10.99 years; SD, 3.66 years) using composite scores from multiple informants of the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory and the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment. Parent temperament was assessed using the adult version of the Temperament and Character Inventory. Statistical analyses included multiple regression procedures to assess the contribution of child-parent temperament interactions after controlling for demographic variables, other types of child psychopathology, and the individual Temperament and Character Inventory and Junior Temperament and Character Inventory dimensions. RESULTS: Interactions between child and parent temperament dimensions predicted higher levels of externalizing, internalizing, and attention problems over and above the effects of these dimensions alone. Among others, the combination of high child novelty seeking with high maternal novelty was associated with child attention problems, whereas the combination of high child harm avoidance and high father harm avoidance was associated with increased child internalizing problems. Many child temperament dimensions also exerted significant effects independently. CONCLUSIONS: The association between a child temperament trait and psychopathology can be dependent upon the temperament of parents. These data lend support to previous theories of the importance of goodness-of-fit.

Age Factors↗

PubMed2006

Exploring the boundary between temperament and generalized anxiety disorder: a receiver operating characteristic analysis.

Studies of individuals with an increased tendency to experience negative emotions such as fear, sadness, and anger have documented links between this temperamental trait and anxiety disorders. There exists debate, however, concerning the degree to which high levels of a temperamental trait are a necessary and/or sufficient component of a DSM diagnosis. In this study, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses assessed the relations between levels of harm avoidance (HA) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) diagnoses in 334 children and their parents. Analyses revealed HA scores to be highly predictive of GAD diagnoses in children (AUC=.791, P<.001) and adults (AUC=.818, P<.001). However, there were many individuals with high HA scores who did not qualify for a GAD diagnosis. These findings suggest that while there are strong associations between HA and GAD, high levels of HA are neither necessary nor sufficient in the formation of clinically significant anxiety symptoms.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

The genetic architecture of neuroticism in 3301 Dutch adolescent twins as a function of age and sex: a study from the Dutch twin register.

The objective of this study was to estimate the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences to variation in adolescent neuroticism as a function of age and sex. Neuroticism was assessed using the Amsterdamse Biografische Vragenlijst (ABV): a self-report personality instrument similar in content to the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Genetic modeling procedures, including age as modifier, were fitted to the total sample of 3301 Dutch adolescent twins aged 12 to 17 years (mean age 15.5). Significant influences of additive genetic factors (.59, 95% confidence intervals [CI] .54-.63) and unshared environmental factors (.41, 95% CI .37-.45) were found. Our data did not support a role of shared environment. Results showed that different genes may influence variation in neuroticism between girls and boys. No interaction was found between the variance components and age. Results generally support prior findings in adults and young children that neuroticism is influenced principally by additive genetic and unique environmental factors. The magnitude of the genetic component appears higher in the present sample of adolescents than in most studies of adults. The present study suggests that, in adolescence, different genes are expressed in boys and girls.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Family, twin, adoption, and molecular genetic studies of juvenile bipolar disorder.

Juvenile bipolar disorder (JBD) has been a subject of significant research and debate. Phenotypic differences between JBD and adult-onset bipolar disorder have led researchers to question whether or not similar neuropathologic mechanisms will be found. While much is known about the genetic and environmental contributions to the adult-onset phenotype, less is known about their contributions to JBD. Here, we review family, twin, adoption, and molecular genetic studies of JBD. Behavioral genetic data suggest both genetic and environmental contributions to JBD, while molecular genetic studies find linkage to age of onset of bipolar disorder to chromosomes 12p, 14q, and 15q. Additionally, changes associated with symptom age of onset have been recently reported in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glycogen synthase kinase 3-beta (GSK3-beta) genes. We contend that further progress in discovering the precise genetic and environmental contributions to JBD may depend on advances in phenotypic refinement, an increased appreciation of comorbid conditions, and more investigation of the longitudinal course of the disorder.

Adoption↗

PubMed2005

The genetic and environmental contributions to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as measured by the Conners' Rating Scales--Revised.

OBJECTIVE: The majority of published reports on twin studies of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have indicated robust additive genetic influences and unique environmental influences. These studies typically used DSM ADHD symptoms collected by telephone or interviews with mothers. The purpose of this study was to test the genetic architecture of ADHD by using the ADHD index from Conners' Rating Scales-Revised. METHOD: From the Conners' scale forms, data for the ADHD index were collected from the mothers of 1,595 7-year-old twin pairs from the Netherlands Twin Registry. Rates of ADHD diagnoses were computed by using Conners' gender- and age-specific cutoff points. Contributions from additive, dominant, unique environmental, interaction, and gender effects were computed by using gender-genetic models. RESULTS: The prevalence of ADHD across the sample of 7-year-old twin pairs was about 4% according to the mothers' reports, consistent with other reported rates of ADHD. However, using the gender norms provided with the ADHD index, the authors found slightly higher rates of ADHD in girls than previously reported. Genetic analyses yielded a model that includes genetic dominance (48%), additive genetic factors (30%), and unique environmental factors (22%). CONCLUSIONS: The ADHD index from Conners' Rating Scales-Revised identified an appropriate percentage of children across this epidemiologic twin sample as being at risk for ADHD. The results of the genetic analyses are consistent with prior reports that ADHD is predominantly influenced by genetic factors that are both dominant and additive.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗

PubMed2004

Genetic and environmental contributions to the Child Behavior Checklist Obsessive-Compulsive Scale: a cross-cultural twin study.

CONTEXT: We have reported elsewhere on the development of an 8-item Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (OCS) contained in the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) to identify children who meet criteria for DSM-IV obsessive-compulsive disorder. Twin studies of obsessive-compulsive disorder have indicated a significant genetic component to its expression. OBJECTIVE: To determine the relative contributions of genetic and environmental influences on childhood obsessive-compulsive behavior using the CBCL OCS in twin samples. DESIGN: The CBCL data were received by survey of twins in the Netherlands Twin Registry (NTR) and the Missouri Twin Study (USA/MOTWIN). SETTING: General community twin samples. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 4246 twin pairs aged 7 years, 2841 aged 10 years, and 1562 aged 12 years (who also participated in the study at 7 and 10 years of age) from the NTR and 1461 mixed-age twin pairs (average age, approximately 9 years) from the USA/MOTWIN. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Model fitting to test for genetic and environmental influences, sex differences, and sibling interaction/rater contrast effects on the CBCL OCS. RESULTS: In each case, the best-fitting model was one that indicated significant additive genetic influences (range, 45%-58%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 45%-61%), and unique environmental influences (range, 42%-55%; 95% CI, 39%-55%), with shared environmental influences in the NTR sample aged 12 years (16%). Sex differences were seen in the mixed-age USA/MOTWIN model, but not in the NTR samples. No evidence of dominance, sibling interaction, or rater-contrast effects was seen. These data were relatively consistent across age and cultures. CONCLUSIONS: The CBCL OCS is influenced by genetic factors (approximately 55%) and unique environmental factors (approximately 45%) in the younger sample, with common environmental influences only at 12 years of age. These effects do not vary with differences in sex or sibling interaction/rater contrast effects. Our data reveal higher genetic influences for obsessive-compulsive behavior and do not demonstrate genetic differences across sex.

Age Factors↗

PubMed2004

Associations between temperament and DSM-IV externalizing disorders in children and adolescents.

This study investigated associations between child temperament and DSM-IV disorders in children. A total of 156 probands (97 boys, 59 girls; mean age = 10.78 years) and 154 randomly selected siblings were assessed using the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (JTCI) and a structured DSM-IV interview. Subjects were placed in nonoverlapping groups of (1) attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) only, (2) disruptive behavior disorders (DBD) only, (3) DBD plus an affective and/or anxiety disorder (DBD+Int), and (4) controls with no diagnosis. Many JTCI scales were found to differ between diagnostic groups and controls. Regression analyses showed independent associations between low persistence and ADHD-only group membership, high novelty seeking (NS), and the DBD-only group and between high harm avoidance (HA) and DBD+Int group membership. The interaction NS x HA was related to the ADHD-only group. Future research is needed to determine the mechanism of these association.

Anxiety Disorders↗

PubMed2003

Childhood antecedents of avoidant personality disorder: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore potential risk factors and early manifestations of avoidant personality disorder (AVPD) by examining retrospective reports of social functioning and adverse childhood experiences. METHOD: Early social functioning and pathological childhood experiences were assessed using the Childhood Experiences Questionnaire-Revised. The responses of 146 adults diagnosed with primary AVPD were compared with a group of 371 patients with other personality disorders as a primary diagnosis and a group of 83 patients with current major depression disorder and no personality disorders, using chi2 analyses. Diagnoses were based on semistructured interviews by trained reliable clinicians. RESULTS: Adults with AVPD reported poorer child and adolescent athletic performance, less involvement in hobbies during adolescence, and less adolescent popularity than the depressed comparison group and the other personality disorder group. Reported rates of physical and emotional abuse were higher than the depressed group, but this result was influenced by comorbid diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that early manifestations of AVPD are present in childhood but that various forms of abuse are not specific to the disorder.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Temperament and its role in developmental psychopathology.

Temperament refers to early-appearing variation in emotional reactivity. The core dimensions of temperament and optimal method for assessment continue to be sources of considerable discussion. Nevertheless, the moderate stability of most temperamental traits and the strong influence of genetic and unique environmental factors have been well established, along with temperament's association with childhood psychiatric disorders. Both temperamental predisposition toward experiencing negative emotions and low inhibitory control are linked to many psychiatric conditions, while other dimensions, such as levels of extraversion, vary by, and likely even within, disorders. Accumulating research directed at understanding the mechanism of these links between temperament and psychopathology indicate that, at least for most disorders, the two constructs cannot be viewed as simply different points along a shared continuum. The effect of temperament upon psychopathology has been found to be mediated and moderated by a number of both internal and external factors. Additional research is needed to help further define the core dimensions of temperament and the complex mechanisms through which temperamental traits interact with other influences in affecting developmental trajectories.

Anxiety↗