Abstract
The present study addresses the issue of differential heritability with increasing severity of parent-reported internalizing and externalizing behavior problems assessed by the Child Behavior Checklist. The sample includes 526 identical and 389 fraternal samesexed twin pairs from five national birth cohorts, aged 5–6, 8–9, and 12–15 years. Heritability (h 2), common environment (c 2), and changes in these parameters as a function of proband score were analyzed by multiple regression models (Chernyet al., 1992). Internalizing and externalizing behavior showed significant heritability. A small increment inh 2 and a reduction ofc 2 with increasing severity of externalizing behavior were independent of sex and age. For internalizing behaviorh 2 increased andc 2 declined with increasing severity for the 5–6 and 8–9 year olds. Logarithmic transformation of scores loweredh 2 and increasedc 2, particularly for externalizing behavior. The changes in heritability with severity were nonsignificant for the transformed variables.
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Gjone, H., Stevenson, J., Sundet, J.M. et al. Changes in heritability across increasing levels of behavior problems in young twins. Behav Genet 26, 419–426 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02359486
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02359486