title: The heritability of mental health and wellbeing defined using COMPAS-W, a new composite measure of wellbeing.
abstract: Mental health is not simply the absence of mental illness; rather it is a distinct entity representing wellness. Models of wellbeing have been proposed that emphasize components of subjective wellbeing, psychological wellbeing, or a combination of both. A new 26-item scale of wellbeing (COMPAS-W) was developed in a cohort of 1669 healthy adult twins (18-61 years). The scale was derived using factor analysis of multiple scales of complementary constructs and confirmed using tests of reliability and convergent validity. Bivariate genetic modeling confirmed its heritability. From an original 89 items we identified six independent subcomponents that contributed to wellbeing. The COMPAS-W scale and its subcomponents showed construct validity against psychological and physical health behaviors, high internal consistency (average r=0.71, Wellbeing r=0.84), and 12-month test-retest reliability (average r=0.62, Wellbeing r=0.82). There was a moderate contribution of genetics to total Wellbeing (heritability h(2)=48%) and its subcomponents: Composure (h(2)=24%), Own-worth (h(2)=42%), Mastery (h(2)=40%), Positivity (h(2)=42%), Achievement (h(2)=32%) and Satisfaction (h(2)=43%). Multivariate genetic modeling indicated genetic variance was correlated across the scales, suggesting common genetic factors contributed to Wellbeing and its subcomponents. The COMPAS-W scale provides a validated indicator of wellbeing and offers a new tool to quantify mental health.
authors.affiliation: The Brain Dynamics Centre, University of Sydney, Medical School and Westmead Millennium Institute, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, Sydney, NSW 2145, Australia. Electronic address: justine.gatt@sydney.edu.au.
authors.forename: Justine M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gatt
authors.affiliation: The Brain Dynamics Centre, University of Sydney, Medical School and Westmead Millennium Institute, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, Sydney, NSW 2145, Australia.
authors.forename: Karen L O
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Burton
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick; and the University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2031, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Schofield
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia.
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-5717, USA.
authors.forename: Leanne M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*
keywords: ERQ; Happiness; NEO-FFI; Resilience; SWLS; TWIN-E; WHOQOL