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Common Genetic and Environmental Influences on Major Depressive Disorder and Conduct Disorder

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Abstract

The evidence for common genetic and environmental influences on conduct disorder (CD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) in adolescents was examined. A sample of 570 monozygotic twin pairs, 592 dizygotic twin pairs, and 426 non-twin siblings, aged 12–18 years, was recruited from the Colorado Twin Registry. For the past year data, there was a significant correlation between the genetic influences on MDD and CD and, for the lifetime data, there was a significant correlation between the genetic influences on MDD and CD, and a significant correlation between the nonshared environmental influences on MDD and CD. Our results suggest that some genetic factors will increase an individual’s vulnerability to both MDD and CD in adolescence.

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Notes

  1. The overall pattern of results was the same when analyses were repeated using the same threshold for the entire sample.

  2. The overall pattern of results was the same when analyses were repeated using the same threshold for the entire sample.

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Acknowledgment

This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants MH43899, MH16880, HD10333, DA11015, and DA13956. We thank Michael C. Stallings and Sally-Ann Rhea for helpful comments regarding the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA

    Anjali Subbarao, Soo Hyun Rhee & John K. Hewitt

  2. Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado, Campus Box 447, Boulder, CO, 80309-0447, USA

    Soo Hyun Rhee, Susan E. Young, Marissa A. Ehringer, Robin P. Corley & John K. Hewitt

  3. Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA

    Marissa A. Ehringer

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  1. Anjali Subbarao
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  2. Soo Hyun Rhee
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Correspondence to Soo Hyun Rhee.

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Subbarao, A., Rhee, S.H., Young, S.E. et al. Common Genetic and Environmental Influences on Major Depressive Disorder and Conduct Disorder. J Abnorm Child Psychol 36, 433–444 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-007-9189-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-007-9189-1

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