ARE ANXIETY SYMPTOMS IN CHILDHOOD HERITABLE

Although childhood anxiety appears to aggregate in families, transmiss ion could be explained by both genetic and shared environmental factor s. Twin studies can be used to disentangle genetic and environmental e ffects. In this study, a systematically ascertained sample of twins wa s used to investigate whether anxiety symptoms are heritable. Parent-r ated anxiety symptoms could best be explained by an additive genetic m odel with heritability estimated at 59%. However, when self ratings we re analysed (in the adolescent subsample), familial transmission could be accounted for by shared environmental factors only.