Usefulness of twin studies for exploring the etiology of childhood and adolescent psychiatric disorders. 1993

M C LaBuda, and I I Gottesman, and D L Pauls
Addiction Research Center/NIDA, Baltimore, MD 21224.

It is estimated that approximately 12% of the individuals under the age of 18 in the United States have a diagnosable mental illness [Institute of Medicine, 1989]; however, only a minority of the etiological research in psychopathology focuses on disorders with childhood onset. The present report demonstrates the usefulness of twin studies in exploring the etiology of childhood and adolescent psychiatric psychopathology and reviews the design, methodology, and results from traditional twin studies of various behavioral disorders. Alternative twin designs are also reviewed in an effort to address the future direction of twin studies in the area of childhood and adolescent psychopathology and to illustrate that twin data have much more to offer the field of psychopathology than merely an initial test to rule in or to rule out a significant genetic contribution to the development of such behaviors.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D011599 Psychopathology The study of significant causes and processes in the development of mental illness.
D012107 Research Design A plan for collecting and utilizing data so that desired information can be obtained with sufficient precision or so that an hypothesis can be tested properly. Experimental Design,Data Adjustment,Data Reporting,Design, Experimental,Designs, Experimental,Error Sources,Experimental Designs,Matched Groups,Methodology, Research,Problem Formulation,Research Methodology,Research Proposal,Research Strategy,Research Technics,Research Techniques,Scoring Methods,Adjustment, Data,Adjustments, Data,Data Adjustments,Design, Research,Designs, Research,Error Source,Formulation, Problem,Formulations, Problem,Group, Matched,Groups, Matched,Matched Group,Method, Scoring,Methods, Scoring,Problem Formulations,Proposal, Research,Proposals, Research,Reporting, Data,Research Designs,Research Proposals,Research Strategies,Research Technic,Research Technique,Scoring Method,Source, Error,Sources, Error,Strategies, Research,Strategy, Research,Technic, Research,Technics, Research,Technique, Research,Techniques, Research
D002648 Child A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL. Children
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293 Adolescent A person 13 to 18 years of age. Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D001523 Mental Disorders Psychiatric illness or diseases manifested by breakdowns in the adaptational process expressed primarily as abnormalities of thought, feeling, and behavior producing either distress or impairment of function. Mental Illness,Psychiatric Diseases,Psychiatric Disorders,Psychiatric Illness,Behavior Disorders,Diagnosis, Psychiatric,Mental Disorders, Severe,Psychiatric Diagnosis,Illness, Mental,Mental Disorder,Mental Disorder, Severe,Mental Illnesses,Psychiatric Disease,Psychiatric Disorder,Psychiatric Illnesses,Severe Mental Disorder,Severe Mental Disorders
D012931 Social Environment The aggregate of social and cultural institutions, forms, patterns, and processes that influence the life of an individual or community. Social Context,Environment, Social,Social Ecology,Context, Social,Contexts, Social,Ecologies, Social,Ecology, Social,Environments, Social,Social Contexts,Social Ecologies,Social Environments
D014429 Twins, Dizygotic Two offspring from the same PREGNANCY. They are from two OVA, fertilized at about the same time by two SPERMATOZOA. Such twins are genetically distinct and can be of different sexes. Twins, Fraternal,Dizygotic Twin,Dizygotic Twins,Fraternal Twin,Fraternal Twins,Twin, Dizygotic,Twin, Fraternal
D014430 Twins, Monozygotic Two off-spring from the same PREGNANCY. They are from a single fertilized OVUM that split into two EMBRYOS. Such twins are usually genetically identical and of the same sex. Twins, Identical,Identical Twin,Identical Twins,Monozygotic Twin,Monozygotic Twins,Twin, Identical,Twin, Monozygotic

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