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The Association of Intrapair Birth-Weight Differences With Internalizing and Externalizing Behavior Problems

Elena C Tore1, Evangelia E Antoniou1, Keith Reed2

  • 1Department of Complex Genetics,Care and Public Health Research Institute (School CAPHRI),Maastricht University,Maastricht,the Netherlands.

Twin Research and Human Genetics : the Official Journal of the International Society for Twin Studies
|April 13, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Larger birth weight differences in identical twins correlate with increased behavioral problems, suggesting prenatal environmental factors impact child development. Smaller twins face higher risks for later behavioral issues.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Behavioral Genetics
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Problem behaviors in children are a significant public health concern.
  • Twin studies indicate both genetic and environmental influences on behavior.
  • Analyzing birth weight differences can isolate non-shared prenatal environmental effects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between birth weight discordance and behavioral differences in twins.
  • To identify specific prenatal environmental contributions to child behavior problems.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Twins and Multiple Births Association Heritability Study.
  • Included 960 twins (480 pairs) aged 18 months to 5 years.
  • Employed multiple linear regressions to analyze birth weight difference against Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores.

Main Results:

  • A significant association was found between birth weight difference and total problems, internalizing problems, and emotional reactivity in monozygotic (MZ) twins.
  • No significant results were observed in dizygotic (DZ) twins or combined groups.
  • Increased birth weight difference correlated with greater behavioral differences, with smaller twins at higher risk.

Conclusions:

  • Suggests a causal link between birth weight and behavioral development.
  • Highlights the role of non-shared prenatal environmental factors in shaping behavior.
  • Identifies smaller birth weight as a risk factor for behavior problems.

Keywords:
birth-weight discordancechild behavior checklistintrauterine environmentproblem behaviortwins

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