We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Widowhood and the Stability of Late Life Depressive Symptomatology in the Swedish Adoption Twin Study of Aging.
- Authors
Beam, Christopher; Emery, Robert; Reynolds, Chandra; Gatz, Margaret; Turkheimer, Eric; Pedersen, Nancy
- Abstract
Although the Swedish Adoption Twin of Aging (SATSA) has been used to investigate phenotypic stability of late life depressive symptoms, the biometric processes underlying this stability have not been studied. Under a reciprocal effects modeling framework, we used SATSA twins' Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale data across 5 waves (from 1987-2007) to test whether the reciprocal exchange between twins within a family and their nonshared environments (P<=>E) promote the accumulation of gene-environment correlation ( rGE) over time. The model generates increasing rGE that produces subsequent stable environmental differences between twins within a family-a process hypothesized to explain stability in chronic late life depressive symptoms. Widowhood is included as a stressful life experience that may introduce an additional nonshared source of variability in CES-D scores. Genetic effects and nonshared environmental effects are primary sources of stability of late life depressive symptoms without evidence of underlying rGE processes. Additionally, widowhood explained stable differences in CES-D scores between twins within a family up to 3 years after spousal loss.
- Subjects
WIDOWHOOD; WIDOWS; SYMPTOMS; OLDER people; GERONTOLOGY; VOICE change; SENILE dementia; AGE factors in disease
- Publication
Behavior Genetics, 2016, Vol 46, Issue 1, p100
- ISSN
0001-8244
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s10519-015-9733-7