PERSONALITY AND DIVORCE - A GENETIC-ANALYSIS

M. McGue and D. T. Lykken (1992) found that divorce risk was, to a sub stantial degree, genetically mediated: prior reseal-ch has identified numerous social and psychological factors that affect divorce risk (G. C. Kitson, K, B, Barbi, & M. J. Roach, 1985). The present study attem pted to link these domains by examining the extent to which genetic in fluences on one such psychological factor, personality, explain divorc e risk heritability. A sample of adult twins from the Minnesota Twin R egistry completed a marital history questionnaire and the Multidimensi onal Personality Questionnaire (A. Tellegen, 1982). Positive Emotional ity and Negative Emotionality factors were positively related to divor ce risk. whereas Constraint was negatively related. In women and men, respectively, 30% and 42% of the heritability of divorce risk consiste d of genetic factors affecting personality and personality and divorce risk correlated largely as a result of these common genetic influence s.