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Genetic Analysis of Anger: Genetic Dominance or Competitive Sibling Interaction

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Abstract

The knowledge of the causes and development of anger is still scarce. Previous studies on the sources of variance on Type A Behavior Pattern (TABP) related measures found variable heritability estimates ranging from 0.12 to 0.68, and large differences between MZ and DZ correlations. Some authors considered dominance genetic effects, competitive sibling interaction and sex differences as possible mechanisms to explain the results, but most studies lacked power. The present study uses a large sample of more than 2500 families, with longitudinal data from MZ and DZ pairs as well as their parents, to disentangle the sources of variance on anger. Model Fitting results showed that the sources of variance differ across sexes. For males 23% of the variance is due to additive genetic effects, and 26% to dominance genetic effects. For females 34% of the variance is due to additive genetic effects, and no dominance effects are found. There was no consistent evidence to confirm the presence of competitive sibling interaction as an alternative explanation for the low correlations in DZ males. The focus of research on the prediction of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk through psychological characteristics has recently changed from the multidimensional TABP to its emotional component: Anger. Understanding the sources of individual differences on anger can help to clarify the mechanisms that link it with CHD and its possible implications for treatment and prevention.

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Acknowledgments

This research was completed while the first author was in receipt of a FPU scholarship from the Spanish “Ministerio de Educación, Ciencia, Tecnología y Deporte” (AP2001-0016). Data collection was funded by The Netherlands Heart Foundation and NWO (Dutch Heart Foundation NWO-900-562-137; NWO 575-25-006).

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  1. Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Irene Rebollo & Dorret I. Boomsma

  2. Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit, Van der Boechorststraat 1, NL-1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Irene Rebollo

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  1. Irene Rebollo
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  2. Dorret I. Boomsma
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Correspondence to Irene Rebollo.

Appendix A

Appendix A

Table A.1. Descriptive Statistics for Age Distribution by Survey Participation
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Rebollo, I., Boomsma, D.I. Genetic Analysis of Anger: Genetic Dominance or Competitive Sibling Interaction. Behav Genet 36, 216–228 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-005-9025-8

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