The genetic and environmental structure of psychopathology spectra in middle childhood

In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in understanding the causes of psychiatric comorbidity, and several studies have re-examined dimensionality using hierarchical or bi-factor modeling techniques. Previous... [ view full abstract ]

In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in understanding the causes of psychiatric comorbidity, and several studies have re-examined dimensionality using hierarchical or bi-factor modeling techniques. Previous reports from child and adolescence samples indicate that early psychopathology can be conceptualized through two dimensional spectra: internalizing and externalizing risk. Evidence for a higher order general factor that accounts for comorbidity across the two specific spectra has also been found. Childhood and adolescence comprises several developmental stages where rapid changes can occur. A current limitation in understanding the structure of childhood psychopathology is that samples incorporating broad age spans are most common. Clearly defined age ranges are needed to understand the nature of comorbidity because factors leading to co-occurrence may differ throughout the lifespan. Although efforts have been made to assess associations between psychopathology spectra and personality, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have systematically incorporated normal personality traits into these models. Understanding the genetic and environmental structure of childhood psychopathology is important both for general knowledge and for designing intervention strategies. In this study, we aim to investigate the joint structure of common psychopathology symptoms (e.g. anxiety, depression, conduct disorder, and ADHD) and normal personality traits in children from a twin-sibling subsample of the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study. Preliminary results will be presented at the conference.