title: Why do measures of normal and disordered personality correlate? A study of genetic comorbidity.
abstract: The genetic and environmental correlations between measures of normal (NEO-FFI) and abnormal personality (Dimensional Assessment of Personality Pathology: DAPP-BQ) were estimated in a sample of 545 volunteer general population twin pairs (269 monozygotic and 276 dizygotic pairs). The largest genetic correlations were observed between the 18 DAPP-BQ dimensions and NEO-FFI neuroticism (range = .05 to .81; median = .48), extraversion (range = -.65 to .33; median = -.28), agreeableness (range = -.65 to .00; median = -.38), and conscientiousness (range = -.76 to .52; median = -.31). The smallest genetic correlations were found between the DAPP-BQ dimensions and NEO-FFI openness (range = -.17 to .20; median = -.04). The environmental correlations are lower in magnitude but show the same pattern of correlations between DAPP-BQ and NEO-FFI scales. These results indicate that these two scales share a common broad-based genetic architecture, whereas the environmental influences show greater scale specificity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. kjang@unixg.ubc.ca
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Livesley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004200:Diseases in Twins / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008957:Models, Genetic; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010551:Personality / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics*; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010641:Phenotype; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012931:Social Environment; D014427:Twins / Q000235:genetics; D014429:Twins, Dizygotic / Q000235:genetics; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic / Q000235:genetics