Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T00:39:59.163Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The Enrichment Study of the Minnesota Twin Family Study: Increasing the Yield of Twin Families at High Risk for Externalizing Psychopathology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2012

Margaret A. Keyes*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States of America. [email protected]
Stephen M. Malone
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States of America.
Irene J. Elkins
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States of America.
Lisa N. Legrand
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States of America.
Matt McGue
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States of America; Department of Epidemiology, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark.
William G. Iacono
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States of America.
*
*Address for correspondence: Margaret Keyes, Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, 75 East River Rd, Minneapolis, MN 55455.

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.

The Enrichment Study (ES) was designed to extend the Minnesota Twin Family Study (MTFS) by oversampling 11-year-old twins at especially high risk for substance use disorders by virtue of having a childhood disruptive disorder. The sample was ascertained from Minnesota birth records. To identify high-risk twins, we conducted telephone screening interviews for parent-reported symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and conduct disorder (CD) as well as indications of academic disengagement. Twins who exceeded a predetermined threshold were invited to participate. To facilitate comparison with the previously ascertained MTFS participants, a random sample of 11-year-old twins was also recruited. As part of the ES study, 499 twin pairs, and their parents, visited the University of Minnesota, where each participant completed a clinical interview, psychophysiological evaluation, and thorough assessment of environmental risk. We were highly successful in recruiting at-risk twins; 52% of the screened male twins and 41% of the screened females met criteria for a diagnosis of ADHD, CD, or oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). At the pair level, 63% of the screened pairs had at least one member with a childhood disruptive disorder. This article provides an overview of the study design and includes a review of recent findings using this sample of twins.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009