title: Causes of individual differences in adolescent optimism: a study in Dutch twins and their siblings.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the degree to which genetic and environmental influences affect variation in adolescent optimism. Optimism (3 items and 6 items approach) and pessimism were assessed by the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R) in 5,187 adolescent twins and 999 of their non-twin siblings from the Netherlands Twin Register (NTR). Males reported significantly higher optimism scores than females, while females score higher on pessimism. Genetic structural equation modeling revealed that about one-third of the variance in optimism and pessimism was due to additive genetic effects, with the remaining variance being explained by non-shared environmental effects. A bivariate correlated factor model revealed two dimensions with a genetic correlation of -.57 (CI -.67, -.47), while the non-shared environmental correlation was estimated to be -.21 (CI -.25, -.16). Neither an effect of shared environment, non-additive genetic influences, nor quantitative sex differences was found for both dimensions. This result indicates that individual differences in adolescent optimism are mainly accounted for by non-shared environmental factors. These environmental factors do not contribute to the similarity of family members, but to differences between them. Familial resemblance in optimism and pessimism assessed in adolescents is fully accounted for by genetic overlap between family members.
authors: Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Boğaziçi University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors: Rezan Nehir
authors: RN
authors: Mavioğlu
authors: Department of Biological Psychology, Netherlands Twin Register, VU University Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.|EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.|Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: Dorret I
authors: DI
authors: Boomsma
authors: Department of Biological Psychology, Netherlands Twin Register, VU University Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. m.bartels@vu.nl.|EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. m.bartels@vu.nl.|Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. m.bartels@vu.nl.
authors: Meike
authors: M
authors: Bartels
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands; D000067656:Optimism; D035781:Siblings; D012931:Social Environment; D014427:Twins / Q000235:genetics*
keywords: Adolescence; Non-shared environment; Optimism; Pessimism; Twin-sibling design
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