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A twin study of body dysmorphic concerns.
B Monzani1, F Rijsdijk, M Anson
1Department of Psychosis Studies, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK. benedetta.monzani@kcl.ac.uk
Psychological Medicine
|December 1, 2011
Summary
Dysmorphic concerns, an excessive preoccupation with perceived appearance flaws, are a heritable trait. Genetic factors contribute significantly, alongside non-shared environmental influences, highlighting the complex origins of body image concerns.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Behavioral Genetics
- Twin Studies
Background:
- Dysmorphic concern involves preoccupation with slight or perceived physical appearance defects.
- Concerns exist on a spectrum from minimal to severe.
- This study investigated the heritability of these concerns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the heritability of dysmorphic concerns.
- To determine the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to dysmorphic concerns.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a large twin registry (n=3544, female twins).
- Administered a validated self-report measure for dysmorphic concerns.
- Employed twin modeling to analyze genetic and environmental variance.
Main Results:
- Genetic factors explained approximately 44% of the variance in dysmorphic concerns.
- Non-shared environmental factors and measurement error accounted for 56% of the variance.
- Shared environmental factors had a negligible impact.
Conclusions:
- Dysmorphic concern is a heritable trait.
- Non-shared environmental factors also play a significant role.
- Findings are relevant to psychiatric disorders involving body appearance concerns, such as body dysmorphic disorder.
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