title: Child and adolescent conduct disorder substantially shares genetic influences with three socioemotional dispositions.
abstract: In a representative sample of twin children and adolescents, we tested the hypothesis that a substantial proportion of the genetic and environmental influences underlying conduct disorder (CD) are shared with three socioemotional dispositions: Prosociality, Negative Emotionality, and Daring. Caretaker ratings of each dispositional dimension were uniquely associated with a latent CD dimension that included both caretaker- and youth-reports of CD as indicators. Behavior genetic analyses indicated that moderate-to-high additive genetic and moderate nonshared environmental influences underlie all three dispositions and CD, with modest shared environmental influences on Prosociality. Forty percent of the additive genetic influences and all of the nonshared environmental influences on the latent CD dimension were shared in common with the three socioemotional dispositions. The finding that CD shares a substantial proportion of its genetic influences with three distinct socioemotional dispositions suggests new perspectives on the heterogeneous etiology of CD and new approaches to exploring its specific etiological mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA30322, USA. psyiw@emory.edu
authors.forename: Irwin D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Waldman
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Tackett
authors.forename: Carol A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Van Hulle
authors.forename: Brooks
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Applegate
authors.forename: Dustin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pardini
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Frick
authors.forename: Benjamin B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Lahey
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D004200:Diseases in Twins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality / Q000235:genetics*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012931:Social Environment; D014427:Twins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology