TY - JOUR
T1 - Genetic and environmental influences on gambling disorder liability
T2 - A replication and combined analysis of two twin studies
AU - Davis, Christal N.
AU - Slutske, Wendy S.
AU - Martin, Nicholas G.
AU - Agrawal, Arpana
AU - Lynskey, Michael T.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health Grants MH66206 (WSS), DA18267 (MTL), and T32AA013526 (CND). Preparation of this paper was also supported in part by the National Center for Responsible Gaming (WSS).
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018.
PY - 2019/7/1
Y1 - 2019/7/1
N2 - Background Gambling disorder (GD), recognized in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Version 5 (DSM-5) as a behavioral addiction, is associated with a range of adverse outcomes. However, there has been little research on the genetic and environmental influences on the development of this disorder. This study reports results from the largest twin study of GD conducted to date.Methods Replication and combined analyses were based on samples of 3292 (mean age 31.8, born 1972-79) and 4764 (mean age 37.7, born 1964-71) male, female, and unlike-sex twin pairs from the Australian Twin Registry. Univariate biometric twin models estimated the proportion of variation in the latent GD liability that could be attributed to genetic, shared environmental, and unique environmental factors, and whether these differed quantitatively or qualitatively for men and women.Results In the replication study, when using a lower GD threshold, there was evidence for significant genetic (60%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 45-76%) and unique environmental (40%; 95% CI 24-56%), but not shared environmental contributions (0%; 95% CI 0-0%) to GD liability; this did not significantly differ from the original study. In the combined analysis, higher GD thresholds (such as one consistent with DSM-5 GD) and a multiple threshold definitions of GD yielded similar results. There was no evidence for quantitative or qualitative sex differences in the liability for GD.Conclusions Twin studies of GD are few in number but they tell a remarkably similar story: substantial genetic and unique environmental influences, with no evidence for shared environmental contributions or sex differences in GD liability.
AB - Background Gambling disorder (GD), recognized in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Version 5 (DSM-5) as a behavioral addiction, is associated with a range of adverse outcomes. However, there has been little research on the genetic and environmental influences on the development of this disorder. This study reports results from the largest twin study of GD conducted to date.Methods Replication and combined analyses were based on samples of 3292 (mean age 31.8, born 1972-79) and 4764 (mean age 37.7, born 1964-71) male, female, and unlike-sex twin pairs from the Australian Twin Registry. Univariate biometric twin models estimated the proportion of variation in the latent GD liability that could be attributed to genetic, shared environmental, and unique environmental factors, and whether these differed quantitatively or qualitatively for men and women.Results In the replication study, when using a lower GD threshold, there was evidence for significant genetic (60%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 45-76%) and unique environmental (40%; 95% CI 24-56%), but not shared environmental contributions (0%; 95% CI 0-0%) to GD liability; this did not significantly differ from the original study. In the combined analysis, higher GD thresholds (such as one consistent with DSM-5 GD) and a multiple threshold definitions of GD yielded similar results. There was no evidence for quantitative or qualitative sex differences in the liability for GD.Conclusions Twin studies of GD are few in number but they tell a remarkably similar story: substantial genetic and unique environmental influences, with no evidence for shared environmental contributions or sex differences in GD liability.
KW - Behavioral genetics
KW - gambling disorder
KW - sex differences
KW - twins
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85052998972&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S0033291718002325
DO - 10.1017/S0033291718002325
M3 - Article
C2 - 30160223
AN - SCOPUS:85052998972
VL - 49
SP - 1705
EP - 1712
JO - Psychological Medicine
JF - Psychological Medicine
SN - 0033-2917
IS - 10
ER -