Bivariate analysis of disordered eating characteristics in adolescence and young adulthood

✍ Scribed by Munn, Melissa A. ;Stallings, Michael C. ;Hyun Rhee, Soo ;Sobik, Laura E. ;Corley, Robin P. ;Rhea, Sally Ann ;Hewitt, John K.

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 283 KB
• Volume: 43
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0276-3478
• DOI: 10.1002/eat.20854

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Objective

We examined the etiology of two disordered eating characteristics.

Method

Participants included 1,470 female adolescent and young adult twins and their female nontwin siblings. Phenotypic factor analyses of a seven‐item eating pathology screening tool yielded two factors: weight and shape concerns and behaviors (WSCB) and binge eating (BE). Univariate and bivariate extended twin analyses (including cotwins and nontwin siblings) were used to estimate the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences on these characteristics.

Results

Analyses indicated that individual differences in WSCB and BE could be explained by additive genetic influences (a^2^ = 0.43 (95% CI: 0.33–0.52) and 0.49 (95% CI: 0.36–0.58), respectively), with the remaining variance due to nonshared environmental influences. The genetic correlation between WSCB and BE was estimated at 0.64; the nonshared environmental correlation was estimated at 0.27.

Discussion

These results corroborate previous findings on genetic and environmental influences on disordered eating characteristics and suggest that findings can be extended to nontwin populations. © 2010 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2010; 43:751–761