title: Weight-related peer-teasing moderates genetic and environmental risk and disordered eating: twin study.
abstract: BackgroundWeight-related peer-teasing is considered a potent prospective risk factor for development of disordered eating and clinical eating disorders. Currently, the interplay between genetic and environmental influences has yet to be elucidated.AimsTo determine whether peer-teasing moderates latent genetic and/or environmental risk for disordered eating among female adolescent twins.MethodFull quantitative gene-environment interplay modelling of longitudinal trajectory of disordered eating in 685 female twins from the Australian Twin Registry.ResultsA model permitting moderation of disordered eating by peer-teasing involving genetic and non-shared environment effects fit these data best. As levels of peer-teasing increased, both genetic and environmental influences on disordered eating strengthened; however, genetic sources increased proportionally more than environmental sources.ConclusionsWeight-related peer-teasing represents a particularly powerful trigger for disordered eating. Nevertheless, it is amenable to intervention/prevention activities spanning individual to universal levels of endeavour.
authors.affiliation: A. Kate Fairweather-Schmidt, PhD, Tracey D. Wade, PhD, School of Psychology, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: A Kate
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Fairweather-Schmidt
authors.affiliation: A. Kate Fairweather-Schmidt, PhD, Tracey D. Wade, PhD, School of Psychology, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia tracey.wade@flinders.edu.au.
authors.forename: Tracey D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Wade
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001835:Body Weight / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D058445:Bullying / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D004777:Environment; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D010379:Peer Group; D012307:Risk Factors