The Genetic and Environmental Etiology of Fearlessness, Psychopathic Personality Traits and Oppositional Defiant Disorder Symptoms

• In Event: Poster Session I

Abstract

The genetic and environmental etiology of fearlessness, psychopathic personality and opposition defiant disorder (ODD) symptoms was examined in sample of 1,189 five year-old boys and girls drawn from the Participants Preschool Twin Study in Sweden (PETSS). For fearlessness, genetic factors accounted for 54% of the variance and the shared environment accounted for 23%. For psychopathic personality, genetic factors accounted for 61% of the variance and the shared environment accounted for 25% in boys, and in girls genetic factors accounted for 44% of the variance and the shared environment accounted for 32%. For ODD symptoms, genetic influences accounted for 64% of the variance and the non-shared environment accounted for 21%. The phenotypic correlations among fearlessness, psychopathic personality and ODD symptoms were low to moderately strong. Both common and unique genetic and environmental influences were important for the relationship among fearlessness, psychopathic personality, and ODD symptoms. These findings indicate that fearlessness, psychopathic personality–both the total score of the three psychopathic personality dimensions, as well as across the three dimensions: Grandiose-Deceitful, Callous-Unemotional, Impulsive-Need for Stimulation–and ODD symptoms partly share a common genetic and environmental etiology. Much focus has been on callous-unemotional traits; future studies should consider all dimensions of psychopathic personality.

Authors

• Catherine Tuvblad, Örebro University

• Henrik Larsson, Karolinska Institute

• Olivier Colins, Curium-Leiden University Medical Center

• Kostas Fanti, University of Cyprus, Cyprus

• Henrik Andershed, Örebro University