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 (a² = 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.
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 (a² = 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.
Authors: Melissa A Munn-Chernoff; Matthew B McQueen; Gary L Stetler; Brett C Haberstick; Soo Hyun Rhee; Laura E Sobik; Robin P Corley; Andrew Smolen; John K Hewitt; Michael C Stallings Journal: Int J Eat Disord Date: 2012-01-24 Impact factor: 4.861
Authors: Sarah E Racine; Pamela K Keel; S Alexandra Burt; Cheryl L Sisk; Michael Neale; Steven Boker; Kelly L Klump Journal: J Abnorm Psychol Date: 2013-01-28
Authors: Rachel Koren; Melissa A Munn-Chernoff; Alexis E Duncan; Kathleen K Bucholz; Pamela A F Madden; Andrew C Heath; Arpana Agrawal Journal: Twin Res Hum Genet Date: 2014-01-15 Impact factor: 1.587
Authors: Melissa A Munn-Chernoff; Kristin M von Ranson; Kristen M Culbert; Christine L Larson; S Alexandra Burt; Kelly L Klump Journal: Behav Genet Date: 2013-07-30 Impact factor: 2.805