Normative childhood repetitive routines and obsessive compulsive symptomatology in 6-year-old twins
Author
Summary, in English
Background: To investigate the association between normative repetitive routines of childhood and
paediatric obsessive compulsive symptom syndrome (OCSS) and the extent to which it is genetically
mediated. Methods: In a two-phase design a community sample of 4,662 6-year-old twin-pairs were
sampled and 854 pairs were assessed in the second phase for normative repetitive routines using the
Childhood Routines Inventory (CRI) and for OCSS by maternal-informant diagnostic interview. The
OCSS phenotype was defined using standard diagnostic criteria for obsessive compulsive disorder, though regardless of impairment. Results: In the bivariate model, correlation between the CRI defined phenotype and the OCSS phenotype was estimated to be .40 (95% CI .27–.50), and this correlation was attributable wholly to additive genetic effects. The bivariate model also provided estimates of heritability of the two phenotypes separately: 55% (95% CI 80–89%) for the OCSS phenotype, with the remaining variance attributable mainly to non-shared environment, and 50% (95% CI 39–62%) for CRI assessed normative repetitive routines of childhood, with 36% of the remaining variance attributable to shared environment and 14% to non-shared. Conclusions: The moderate correlation between normative childhood repetitive routines and obsessive compulsive symptomatology, attributable to genetic factors, is consistent with the hypothesis that high levels of this trait in young children constitute a risk factor for the development of obsessive compulsive symptoms.
paediatric obsessive compulsive symptom syndrome (OCSS) and the extent to which it is genetically
mediated. Methods: In a two-phase design a community sample of 4,662 6-year-old twin-pairs were
sampled and 854 pairs were assessed in the second phase for normative repetitive routines using the
Childhood Routines Inventory (CRI) and for OCSS by maternal-informant diagnostic interview. The
OCSS phenotype was defined using standard diagnostic criteria for obsessive compulsive disorder, though regardless of impairment. Results: In the bivariate model, correlation between the CRI defined phenotype and the OCSS phenotype was estimated to be .40 (95% CI .27–.50), and this correlation was attributable wholly to additive genetic effects. The bivariate model also provided estimates of heritability of the two phenotypes separately: 55% (95% CI 80–89%) for the OCSS phenotype, with the remaining variance attributable mainly to non-shared environment, and 50% (95% CI 39–62%) for CRI assessed normative repetitive routines of childhood, with 36% of the remaining variance attributable to shared environment and 14% to non-shared. Conclusions: The moderate correlation between normative childhood repetitive routines and obsessive compulsive symptomatology, attributable to genetic factors, is consistent with the hypothesis that high levels of this trait in young children constitute a risk factor for the development of obsessive compulsive symptoms.
Publishing year
2009
Language
English
Pages
1139-1146
Publication/Series
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
Volume
50
Issue
9
Links
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
Topic
- Psychology
Keywords
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
- Childhood Routines Inventory
- children
- twins
- genetics.
Status
Published