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Genetic and Environmental Influences on Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Adolescents

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Abstract

Adolescent depression is common and has become a major public health concern in China, yet little research has examined the etiology of depression in Chinese adolescents. In the present study, genetic and environmental influences on Chinese adolescent depressive symptoms were investigated in 1,181 twin pairs residing in Beijing, China (ages 11–19 years). Child- and parent-versions of the children’s depression inventory were used to measure adolescents’ depressive symptoms. For self-reports, genetic factors, shared environmental factors, and non-shared environmental factors accounted for 50, 5, and 45 % of the variation in depressive symptoms, respectively; for parent-reports, genetic factors, shared environmental factors, and non-shared environmental factors accounted for 51, 18, and 31 % of the variation, respectively. These estimates are generally consistent with previous findings in Western adolescents, supporting the cross-cultural generalizability of etiological model of adolescent depression. Neither qualitative nor quantitative sex differences were found in the etiological model. Future studies are needed to investigate how genes and environments work together (gene–environment interaction, gene–environment correlation) to influence depression in Chinese adolescents.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KSCX2-EW-J-8), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31170993, 91132728 and 31300841). This research was also supported by Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and the BeTwiSt of Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The original principal investigator, Dr. Xiaojia Ge, passed away during the course of this study and the authors dedicate this paper to his memory and for his great contribution in founding the BeTwiSt. We are also grateful to participating twin families and Schools.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, LinCuiLu 16, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China

    Jie Chen & Xinying Li

  2. University of California, Riverside, CA, USA

    Misaki N. Natsuaki

  3. University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA

    Leslie D. Leve

  4. Andrew and Virginia Rudd Centre for Adoption Research and Practice, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK

    Gordon T. Harold

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  1. Jie Chen
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  2. Xinying Li
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  3. Misaki N. Natsuaki
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  4. Leslie D. Leve
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  5. Gordon T. Harold
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Correspondence to Xinying Li.

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Edited by Kristen Jacobson.

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Chen, J., Li, X., Natsuaki, M.N. et al. Genetic and Environmental Influences on Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Adolescents. Behav Genet 44, 36–44 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-013-9632-8

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