The role of genes and environment in shaping co-occurrence of DSM-IV defined anxiety dimensions among Italian twins aged 8–17

Abstract This study investigated the ultimate causes of co-variation between symptoms of four common DSM-IV anxiety dimensions – Generalized Anxiety, Panic, Social Phobia and Separation Anxiety disorder – assessed with the Italian version of the Screen for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders questionnaire in a sample of 378 twin pairs aged 8–17 from the population-based Italian Twin Register. Genetic and environmental proportions of covariance between the targeted anxiety dimensions were estimated by multivariate twin analyses. Genetic influences (explaining from 58% to 99% of covariance) and unique environmental factors were the sole sources of co-variation for all phenotypes under study. Genetic influences associated with different anxiety dimensions coincide remarkably, as indicated by genetic correlations ranging from 0.40 to 0.61, while unique environmental overlap is less substantial. Thus, while additive genetic effects are important in explaining why children report symptoms from multiple anxiety disorders, environmental idiosyncratic factors seem to play a marginal role in shaping the co-occurrence of different anxiety dimensions in childhood.