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Genetic and Environmental Multidimensionality of Well- and Ill-Being in Middle Aged Twin Men

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Abstract

The goals of the study were to determine the extent to which the underlying structure of different types of well-being was multidimensional and whether well- and ill-being were influenced by similar or different genetic and environmental factors. Participants were 1226 male twins ages 51–60, from the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging. Measures included: psychological well-being, Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire Well-Being scale (MPQWB), life satisfaction, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms. A two-orthogonal-factor common pathway model fit the data well. Psychological well-being and self-esteem loaded most strongly on Factor 1, which was highly heritable (h2 = .79). Life satisfaction loaded most strongly on Factor 2, which was only moderately heritable (h2 = .32). Only MPQWB had measure-specific genetic influences. Depressive symptoms loaded on both factors, and only depressive symptoms had measure-specific common environmental influences. All measures had specific unique environmental influences. Results indicate that well-being is genetically and environmentally multidimensional and that ill-being has partial overlap with both latent factors.

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Acknowledgments

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has provided financial support for the development and maintenance of the Vietnam Era Twin (VET) Registry. Numerous organizations have provided invaluable assistance in the conduct of this study, including: Department of Defense; National Personnel Records Center, National Archives and Records Administration; Internal Revenue Service; National Opinion Research Center; National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences; the Institute for Survey Research, Temple University. Most importantly, the authors gratefully acknowledge the continued cooperation and participation of the members of the VET Registry and their families. This material is, in part, the result of work supported with resources of the VA San Diego Healthcare System. We also appreciate the time and energy of many staff and students without whom this study could not have been conducted. The project described was supported by awards AG018386, AG022381, AG022982 and AG018384 from the National Institute on Aging. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIA or the NIH.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, MC0738, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA

    Carol E. Franz, Matthew S. Panizzon, Wesley Thompson, Ming Tsuang & William S. Kremen

  2. Twin Research Laboratory, Center for Behavioral Genomics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Carol E. Franz, Matthew S. Panizzon & William S. Kremen

  3. Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

    Lindon J. Eaves

  4. Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

    Michael J. Lyons

  5. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Kristen C. Jacobson

  6. Center for Behavioral Genomics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Ming Tsuang

  7. Psychiatric Genetic Epidemiology & Neurobiology Laboratory (PsychGENe Lab), Departments of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Neuroscience & Physiology, Medical Genetics Research Center, SUNY Upstate Medical University, 750 East Adams Street, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA

    Stephen J. Glatt

  8. Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Ming Tsuang & William S. Kremen

  9. Institute of Genomic Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Ming Tsuang

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  1. Carol E. Franz
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Franz, C.E., Panizzon, M.S., Eaves, L.J. et al. Genetic and Environmental Multidimensionality of Well- and Ill-Being in Middle Aged Twin Men. Behav Genet 42, 579–591 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-012-9538-x

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