Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-r5zm4 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-06T03:59:07.222Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Health Related Psychosocial Correlates of Neuroticism: A Study of Adult Male Twins in Finland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

M. Koskenvuo*
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health Science, University of Helsinki
H. Langinvainio
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health Science, University of Helsinki
J. Kaprio
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health Science, University of Helsinki
S. Sarna
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health Science, University of Helsinki
*
Department of Public Health Science, University of Helsinki, Haartmaninkatu 3, 00290 Helsinki 29, Finland

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Some health related psychosocial correlates of the Eysenck neuroticism scale were examined in a questionnaire study of 1501 monozygotic (MZ) and 3455 dizygotic (DZ) male twin pairs representing the adult male twin population in Finland. In analyses of the individuals, 34% of the variance in neuroticism was associated to: psychological variables (stress of daily activities, life satisfaction, quality of sleep, and extroversion – the explanatory rate of this variable set was 30%), psychotropic drugs (5%), alcohol use (4%), and smoking (2%). Neuroticism was also associated to social, life change, and medical variables. In pairwise analyses, the heritability estimate (h2) was 0.54 for pairs living together and 0.39 for pairs living apart. It seems that heritability estimates are confounded by the closer intrapair relationship between members of MZ than DZ pairs. In pairwise analyses, 23% of the intrapair difference of neuroticism in MZ pairs was associated to intrapair differences in the aforementioned variables. The following explanatory rates were found: psychological variables, 21%; psychotropic drugs, 2%; alcohol use, 2%; and smoking, 1%. Neuroticism of pairs discordant for background variables showed similar intrapair differences as between individuals in the following variables: service vs farming work, use of alcohol, use of antacids, hypertension, heavy physical work, quality of sleep, changes of workplace for negative reasons, smoking, and use of tranquillizers. It appears that in Finland environmental factors explain at least 61% of the variability in neuroticism, and that factors determining neuroticism are also associated to health related behavior such as smoking, use of alcohol and psychotropic drugs.

Type
Genetics of Psychopathology
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Twin Studies 1984

References

REFERENCES

1.Allardt, E (1973): About dimensions of welfare; an explanatory analysis of the comparative Scandinavian survey. University of Helsinki, Research Group of Comparative Sociology. Research Reports No. 1.Google Scholar
2.Bortner, RW (1969): A short rating scale as a pattern measure of pattern A behavior. J. Chron Dis 22:8791.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3.Birtish Medical Reseach Council's Commitee on the aetiology of chronic bornchitis (1960): Standardised questionnaire on respiratory symptoms. Br Med J 2:1665.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4.Cattell, RB, Dreger, RM (eds) (1977): Handbook of Modern Personality Theory. New York: Hemisphere Publishing Corporation, Halsted Press.Google Scholar
5.Cherry, N, Kiernan, K (1976): Personality scores and smoking behavior. Br J Prev Soc Med 30:123.Google Scholar
6.Costa, PT, McRae, RR, Norris, AH (1981): Personal adjustment to aging: Longitudinal prediction from neuroticism and extraversion. J Gerontol 36:7885.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7.Costa, PT, Fleg, JT, McCrae, RR, Lakatta, EG (1982): Neuroticism, coronary artery disease, and chest pain complaints: cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Experimental Aging Research 8:3744.Google Scholar
8.Eysenck, HJ (1967): The biological basis of personality. London: CC Thomas.Google Scholar
9.Eysenck, SBG, Eysenck, HJ (1975): Manual of the EPQ (Eysenck Personality Questionnaire). London: University of London Press.Google Scholar
10.Eysenck, HJ, Eaves, LJ (1980): The Causes and Effects of Smoking. London: Maurice Temple Smith.Google Scholar
11.Falconer, DS (1967): Introduction of Quantitative Genetics. New York: Ronald Press.Google Scholar
12.Floderus-Myrhed, B (1974): Psycho-social factors in relation to coronary heart disease and associated risk factors. Nord Hyg T, suppl 6.Google Scholar
13.Floderus-Myrhed, B, Pedersen, N, Rasmuson, I (1980): Assesment of heritability for personality based on a short form of the Eysenck Personality Inventory. Behav Genet 10:153162.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14.Haines, AP, Imeson, JD, Meade, TW (1980): Psychosomatic profiles of smokers and non-smokers. Br Med J 280:1422.Google Scholar
15.Henderson, S (1981): Social relationship, adversity and neurosis: an analysis of prospective observations. Br J Psychiat 138:391398.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16.Jenkins, CD (1976): Recent evidence supporting psychologic social risk factors for coronary disease. New Eng J Med 294:987–994, 10331038.Google Scholar
17.Kalimo, E, Purola, T, Kaitaranta, H (1972): Use of drugs in Helsinki area (In Finnish). Helsinki: Publications of National Pension Institute E 59.Google Scholar
18.Kaprio, J, Sarna, S, Koskenvuo, M, Rantasalo, I (1978): The Finnish Twin Registry: Formation and compilation, questionnaire study, zygosity determination procedures and research program. Prog Clinic Biol Res 24B:179184.Google Scholar
19.Kaprio, J, Sarna, S, Koskenvuo, M, Rantasalo, I (1978): Baseline characteristics of the Finnish Twin Registry: Section II: History of symptoms and illnesses, use of drugs, physical characteristics, smoking, alcohol and physical activity. Helsinki: Publications of the Department of Public Health Science M37.Google Scholar
20.Kaprio, J, Koskenvuo, M, Artimo, M, Sarna, S, Rantasalo, I (1979): Baseline characteristics of the Finnish Twin Registry: Section I: Materials, methods, representativeness, and results for variables special to twin studies. Helsinki: Publications of the Department of Public Health Science M47.Google Scholar
21.Keys, A (ed) (1970): Coronary heart disease in seven countries. Circulation 41, suppl. 1:1199.Google Scholar
22.Koskenvuo, M, Langinvainio, H, Kaprio, J, Rantasalo, I, Sarna, S (1979): The Finnish Twin Registry: Baseline characteristics, Section III: Occupitional and psychosocial factors. Helsinki: Publication of the Department of Public Health Science M49.Google Scholar
23.Koskenvuo, M, Kaprio, J, Langinvainio, H, Romo, M, Sarna, S (1981): Psychosocial and environmental correlates of coronary-prone behavior in Finland. J Chron Dis 34:331334.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
24.Lester, D (1981): Neuroticism, psychoticism, and autonomic nervous sytem balance. Bio Psychiat 16:683685.Google Scholar
25.Loehlin, JC (1982): Are personality traits differentially heritable? Behav Genet 12:417428.Google Scholar
26.McManus, IC, Weeks, SJ (1982): Smoking, personality and reasons for smoking. Psychol Med 12:349356.Google Scholar
27.Paykel, ES (1978): Contribution of life events to causation of psychiatric illness. Psychol Med 8:245253.Google Scholar
28.Rose, GA, Blackburn, H (1968): Cardiovascular Survey Methods. Geneva: WHO.Google ScholarPubMed
29.Rustin, RM, Kittel, F, Dramiax, M, Kornitzer, M, DeBacker, G (1978): Smoking habits and psychosocial biological factors. J Psychosom Res 22:7999.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
30.Sarna, S, Kaprio, J, Sistonen, P, Koskenvuo, M (1978): Diagnosis of twin zygosity by mailed questionnaire. Hum Hered 28:241254.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
31.Siemon, M (1980): The separation-individuation process in adult twins. Am J Psychotherapy 34: 387400.Google Scholar
32.Simpura, J (1978): Use of alcohol as medicine (in Finnish). Finnish Med J 33:1631.Google Scholar
33.Tarkkonen, L, Koskenvuo, M, Kaprio, J, Langinvainio, H, Floderus-Myrhed, B (1981): Crossvalidation of Eysenck extraversion and neuroticism scales in Finland and Sweden. Helsinki: Kansater-veystieteen julkaisuja M62.Google Scholar