Genetic and environmental contributions to depression in Sri Lanka.
BACKGROUND
Susceptibility to depression results from genetic and non-familially shared environmental influences in high-income, Western countries. Environments may play a different role for populations in different contexts.


OBJECTIVE
To examine heritability of depression in the first large, population-based twin study in a low-income country.


METHODS
Lifetime depression and a broader measure of depression susceptibility (D-probe) were assessed in 3908 adult twins in Sri Lanka (the CoTASS study).


RESULTS
There were gender differences for the broad definition (D-probe), with a higher genetic contribution in females (61%) than males (4%). Results were similar for depression, but the prevalence was too low to estimate heritability for males.


CONCLUSIONS
Genetic influences on depression in women appear to be at least as strong in this Sri Lankan sample as in higher-income countries. Conclusions are less clear for men but suggest a larger role for environments rather than genes. The nature as well as the magnitude of environmental influences may also differ across populations.
Ball
Harriet A
HA
MRC Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK. harriet.ball@kcl.ac.uk
Sumathipala
Athula
A
Siribaddana
Sisira H
SH
Kovas
Yulia
Y
Glozier
Nick
N
McGuffin
Peter
P
Hotopf
Matthew
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D004200:Diseases in Twins / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012737:Sex Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D013188:Sri Lanka / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult