Heritability of Self-reported Phobic Fear |
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| Authors: | Marijn A Distel Jacqueline M Vink Gonneke Willemsen Christel M Middeldorp Harald L G J Merckelbach Dorret I Boomsma |
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| Institution: | (1) Department of Biological Psychology, VU University, van der Boechorststraat 1, Amsterdam, 1081 BT, The Netherlands;(2) Faculty of Psychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands |
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| Abstract: | Twin studies on fear and phobia suggest moderate genetic effects. However, results are inconclusive regarding the presence
of dominant genetic effects and sex differences. Using an extended twin design, including male and female twins (n = 5,465) and their siblings (n = 1,624), we examined the genetic and environmental influences on blood-injury, social, and agoraphobic fear and investigated
their interaction with sex and age. Data of spouses (n = 708) of twins were used to evaluate assortative mating for the three fear dimensions. Results showed that there was no
assortative mating for blood-injury, social and agoraphobic fear. Resemblance between biological relatives could be explained
by additive and non-additive genetic effects for blood-injury and agoraphobic fear in all participants, and social fear in
participants aged 14–25 years. For social fear in participants aged 26–65 only additive genetic effects were detected. Broad-sense
heritability estimates ranged from 36 to 51% and were similar for men and women.
Edited by John K Hewitt. |
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| Keywords: | Fear Genetics Twin-family study Assortative mating Dominance |
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