Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-v9fdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-16T15:00:41.650Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The familial aggregation of common psychiatric and substance use disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey: A family history study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 January 2018

Kenneth S. Kendler ,
Christopher G. Davis  and
Ronald C. Kessler
Kenneth S. Kendler*
Affiliation:
Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioural Genetics, Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, US
Christopher G. Davis
Affiliation:
Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, US
Ronald C. Kessler
Affiliation:
Harvard Medical School, Boston, and University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
*
Dr K. S. Kendler, Department of Psychiatry, Medical College of Virginia, Box 980126, Richmond, VA23298-0126, USA
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

Most family studies of psychiatric disorders examine one syndrome at a time, and identify probands in clinical rather than epidemiological settings.

Method

In the National Comorbidity Survey, 5877 respondents were asked about the history of five psychiatric disorders in their parents: major depression (MD), generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), antisocial personality disorder (ASP), alcohol abuse/dependence (AAD) and drug abuse/dependence (DAD).

Results

Significant familial aggregation was seen for all disorders. Controlling for other disorders produced only modest reductions in the odds ratios for MD. GAD and AAD and larger reductions for ASP and DAD. The familial transmission of these disorders can be explained by underlying vulnerabilities to internalising and to externalising disorders transmitted across generations with moderate fidelity.

Conclusions

Familial aggregation of common psychiatric and substance use disorders is substantial in epidemiologic samples. The examined environmental adversities account for little of the observed parent-offspring transmission of these conditions.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 170 , Issue 6 , June 1997 , pp. 541 - 548
Copyright
Copyright © 1997 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Psychiatric Association (1987) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd edn. revised) (DSM-III-R). Washington. DC: APA Google Scholar
Andreasen, N. C., Endicott, J., Spitzer, R. L., et al (1977) The family history method using diagnostic criteria: reliability and validity. Archives of General Psychiatry, 34, 1229–1235.Google Scholar
Andreasen, N. C., Endicott, J., Spitzer, R. L., Rice, J., Endicott, J., et al (1986) The family history approach to diagnosis: how useful is it? Archives of General Psychiatry, 43, 421–429.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bentler, P. M. (1990) Comparative fit indexes in structural models. Psychological Bulletin, 107, 238–246.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boyd, J. H., Burke, J. D., Gruenberg, E., et al (1984) Exclusion criteria of DSM-III: a study of co-occurrence of hierarchy-free syndromes. Archives of General Psychiatry, 41, 983–989.Google Scholar
Cadoret, R. J., Yates, W. R., Troughton, E., et al (1995) Adoption study demonstrating two genetic pathways to drug abuse. Archives of General Psychiatry 52, 42–52.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chapman, T. F., Mannuzza, S., Klein, D. F., et al (1994) Effects of informant mental disorder on psychiatric family history data. American Journal of Psychiatry, 151, 574–579.Google Scholar
Costello, C. G. (1990) The similarities and dissimilarities between community and clinic cases of depression. British Journal of Psychiatry, 157, 812–821.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Endicott, J., Andreasen, N. & Spitzer, R. L. (1978) Family History Research Diagnostic Criteria. New York: Biometrics Research Department. New York State Psychiatric Institute.Google Scholar
Faraone, S. V., Lyons, M. J. & Tsuang, M. T., et al (1987) Sex differences in affective disorder: genetic transmission. Genetic Epidemiology, 4, 331–343.Google Scholar
Gershon, E. S., Hamovit, J., Guroff, J. J., et al (1982) A family study of schizoaffective, bipolar I. bipolar II, unipolar and normal control probands. Archives of General Psychiatry, 39, 1157–1167.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Joreskog, K. G. & Sorbom, D. (1988) PRELIS; A Preprocessor for LISREL Mooresville, IN: Scientific Software.Google Scholar
Joreskog, K. G. & Sorbom, D. (1993) LISREL 8 Users Reference Guide. Chicago: Scientific Software International.Google Scholar
Joreskog, K. G. & Sorbom, D. (1993) LISREL 8: Structural Equation Modeling with the SIMPLIS Command Language. Chicago: Scientific Software International.Google Scholar
Kendler, K. S. (1995) Is seeking treatment for depression predicted by a history of depression in relatives? Implications for family studies of affective disorder. Psychological Medicine, 25, 807–814.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kendler, K. S., Silberg, J. L., Neale, M. C., et al (1991) The family history method: whose psychiatric history is measured? American Journal of Psychiatry, 148, 1501–1504.Google ScholarPubMed
Kendler, K. S., Silberg, J. L., Neale, M. C., Neale, M. C., Kessler, R. C., et al (1992) Generalized anxiety disorder in women: a population based twin study. Archives of General Psychiatry, 49, 267–272.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kendler, K. S., Silberg, J. L., Neale, M. C., Neale, M. C., Kessler, R. C., et el (1992) Major depression and generalized anxiety disorder: same genes, (partly) different environ-ments? Archives of General Psychiatry, 49, 716–722.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kendler, K. S., Silberg, J. L., Neale, M. C., Neale, M. C., Kessler, R. C., Heath, A. C., et al (1994) A twin-family study of alcoholism in women. American Journal of Psychiatry, 151, 707–715.Google Scholar
Kendler, K. S., Silberg, J. L., Neale, M. C., Neale, M. C., Kessler, R. C., Heath, A. C., & Roy, M.-A. (1995) Validity of a diagnosis of lifetime major depression obtained by personal interview vers, us family history. American Journal of Psychiatry, 152, 1608–1614.Google Scholar
Kendler, K. S., Silberg, J. L., Neale, M. C., Neale, M. C., Kessler, R. C., Heath, A. C., & Roy, M.-A. Walters, E. E., Neale, M. C., et al (1995) The structure of the genetic and environmental risk factors for six major psychiatric disorders in women: phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, bulimia, major depression and alcoholism. Archives of General Psychiatry, 52, 374–383.Google Scholar
Kessler, R. C., McGonagle, K. A., Zhao, S., et al (1994) Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of DSM - III - R psychiatric disorders in the United States: results from the National Comorbidity Survey. Archives of General Psychiatry, 51, 8–10.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kish, L. & Frantoi, M. R. (1970) Balanced repeated replications for standard errors. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 65, 1071–1094.Google Scholar
Merikangas, K. R., Weissman, M. M. & Pauls, D. L. (1985) Genetic factors in the sex ratio of major depression. Psycho-logical Medicine, 15, 63–69.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Merikangas, K. R., Weissman, M. M. & Pauls, D. L., Risch, N. J. At Wsissman, M. M. (1994) Comorbidity and co-transmission of alcoholism, anxiety and depression. Psychological Medicine, 24, 69–80.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Orvmschel, H., Thompson, W. Di, Belanger, A., et al (1982) Factors affecting the diagnosis of depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 4, 49–59.Google Scholar
Pollock, V. E., Schneider, L. S., Gabrielli, W. F. Jr, et al (1987) Sex of parent and offspring in the transmission of alco-holism: a meta-analysis. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 175, 668–673.Google Scholar
Reich, T., Rice, J., Cloninger, C. R., et al (1980) The contribution of affected parents to the pool of affected individuals: path analysis of the segregation distribution for alcoholism. In Social Consequences of Psychiatric Illness (eds Robins, L., Clayton, P. & Wing, J.), pp. 91–113. New York: Brunner/Mazel.Google Scholar
Reich, T., Rice, J., Cloninger, C. R., Cloninger, C. R., Van Eerdewegh, P., et al (1988) Secular trends in the familial transmission of alcoholism. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 12, 458–464.Google Scholar
Robins, L. N., Wing, J., Wittchen, H.-U, et al (1988) The Composite International Diagnostic Interview: an epidemiologic instrument suitable for use in conjunction with different diagnostic systems and in different cultures. Archives of General Psychiatry 45, 1069–1077.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thompson, W. D., Orvaschel, H., PrusolT, B. A., et al(1982) An evaluation of the family history method for ascer-taining psychiatric disorders. Archives of General Psychiatry, 39, 53–58.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tsuang, M. T., Winokur, G. & Crowe, R. R. (1980) Morbidity risks of schizophrenia and affective disorders among first-degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia, mania, depression and surgical conditions. British Journal of Psychiatry 137, 497–504.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
US Department of Health and Human Services (1992) National Health Interview Survey. 1989 (computer file). Hyatts-ville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.Google Scholar
Weissman, H. M., Gershon, E. S., Kidd, K. K., et al (1984) Psychiatric disorders in the relatives of probands with affective disorders: the Yale University National Institute of Mental Health Collaborative Study. Archives of General Psychiatry, 41 13–21.Google Scholar
Wittchen, H.-U (1994) Reliability and validity studies of the WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CO): a critical review. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 28, 57–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
World Health Organization (1992) The lenth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10). Geneva: WHO.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.