Does the Environment Have an Enduring Effect on ADHD?: A Longitudinal Study of Monozygotic Twin Differences in Children

Title
Does the Environment Have an Enduring Effect on ADHD?: A Longitudinal Study of Monozygotic Twin Differences in Children
Publication Date
2016
Author(s)
Livingstone, Luisa T
Coventry, William L
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0864-5463
Email: wcovent2@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:wcovent2
Corley, Robin P
Willcutt, Erik G
Samuelsson, Stefan
Olson, Richard K
Byrne, Brian J
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5532-9407
Email: bbyrne@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:bbyrne
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Springer New York LLC
Place of publication
United States of America
DOI
10.1007/s10802-016-0145-9
UNE publication id
une:20485
Abstract
Environmental factors play a key role in the development of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), but the long-term effects of these factors are still unclear. This study analyses data from 1024 monozygotic (identical) twins in Australia, the United States, and Scandinavia who were assessed for ADHD in Preschool, Kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2. Differences within each twin pair were used as a direct measure of non-shared environmental effects. The Trait-State-Occasion (TSO) model developed by Cole et al. (Psychological Methods, 10, 3-20, 2005) was used to separate the non-shared environmental effects into stable factors, and transient factors that excluded measurement error. Stable factors explained, on average, 44 % and 39 % of the environmental variance in hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive symptoms, respectively. Transient effects explained the remaining 56 % and 60 % of variance. The proportion of stable variance was higher than expected based on previous research, suggesting promise for targeted interventions if future research identifies these stable risk factors.
Link
Citation
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 44(8), p. 1487-1501
ISSN
1573-2835
0091-0627
Start page
1487
End page
1501

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