title: Shared versus distinct genetic contributions of mental wellbeing with depression and anxiety symptoms in healthy twins.
abstract: Mental wellbeing and mental illness symptoms are typically conceptualized as opposite ends of a continuum, despite only sharing about a quarter in common variance. We investigated the normative variation in measures of wellbeing and of depression and anxiety in 1486 twins who did not meet clinical criteria for an overt diagnosis. We quantified the shared versus distinct genetic and environmental variance between wellbeing and depression and anxiety symptoms. The majority of participants (93%) reported levels of depression and anxiety symptoms within the healthy range, yet only 23% reported a wellbeing score within the "flourishing" range: the remainder were within the ranges of "moderate" (67%) or "languishing" (10%). In twin models, measures of wellbeing and of depression and anxiety shared 50.09% of variance due to genetic factors and 18.27% due to environmental factors; the rest of the variance was due to unique variation impacting wellbeing or depression and anxiety symptoms. These findings suggest that an absence of clinically-significant symptoms of depression and anxiety does not necessarily indicate that an individual is flourishing. Both unique and shared genetic and environmental factors may determine why some individuals flourish in the absence of symptoms while others do not.
authors.affiliation: The Brain Dynamics Centre, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, and Westmead Millennium Institute, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia.
authors.forename: Kylie M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Routledge
authors.affiliation: The Brain Dynamics Centre, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, and Westmead Millennium Institute, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia; Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia; School of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Karen L O
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Burton
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-5717, United States.
authors.forename: Leanne M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: The Brain Dynamics Centre, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, and Westmead Millennium Institute, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia; School of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Schofield
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia.
authors.forename: C Richard
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.affiliation: The Brain Dynamics Centre, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, and Westmead Millennium Institute, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia; Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia; School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. Electronic address: j.gatt@neura.edu.au.
authors.forename: Justine M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gatt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D004200:Diseases in Twins / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014429:Twins, Dizygotic / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Anxiety; COMPAS-W; DASS; Depression; Mental health; Resilience; Well-being; Wellbeing