To Establish A Chinese Twin Information Database In 6 To 16-Year-Old Based On Mental Development And Status Of Mental Health

Objective: This study aimed at setting up a twin information database in 6 to 16-year-old children from Chongqing, which was based on their mental development (including cognitive function and personality) and status of mental health. This database would be an invaluable resource for understanding the genetic origin of mental development and mental disorders in children and adolescent, and exploring the interaction between gene and environment.Methods: Education committee-school and newspaper approaches are adopted to recruit twins. Twins are brought into the information database formally after getting the signature to the comprehending and consent document from their guardians. C-WISC, WCST, coding A/B, searching A/B, EPQ, SDQ, DAWBA, GHQ-12, PSDQ, FAD-GFS, stress life events, general information questionnaire are adopted to investigate data from twins ,their parents and their teachers. Buccal mucosa samples which DNA are extracted from are collected from all twins. Zygosity identification test would apply to all samples.Result: The successful recruit ratios of the police approach, the education committee-school approach and the newspaper approach are 4%,42.6% and 29.2%. The differences between them are remarkable (χ2=41.124,p<0.01).The average intrapair differences of glossary scale is remarkable different between Monozygotic twins and Dizygotic twins(P< 0.05). Heritability of verbal intelligence, performance intelligence and total intelligence were 0.4773, 0.4504 and 0.5613. There are no significant defferences between monozygotic twins and dizygotic twins among the average intrapair differences of the indexes of WCST, the primary scores of coding A, the primary scores of symbol searching A/B and the standard scores of EPQ (P>0.05). But the average intrapair differences of the primary scores of coding B is remarkable different between Monozygotic twins and Dizygotic twins(P < 0.05).The results from SDQ screening questionnaire showed that there were up to 37.5% of studied twins with any psychiatric disorder including emotional disorder (5.5%), oppositional/conduct disorder (29.7%), and ADHD/hyperkinesis (14.8%). The intrapair correlation coefficients of Monozygotic twins are remarkable in emotional symptoms, inattention-hyperactivity, peer problems, total difficulties score and impact score from parent version; emotional symptoms, conduct problems, inattention-hyperactivity, peer problems, prosocial score, total difficulties score and impact score from teacher version and diagnostic predictions (including any psychiatric disorder, emotional disorder, oppositional/conduct disorder, ADHD/hyperkinesis) (P<0.05). The intrapair correlation coefficients of dizygotic twins are remarkable in prosocial score, total difficulties score from parent version and impact score from teacher version(P<0.05). The intrapair correlation coefficient of impact score from teacher version of monozygotic twins is more than the intrapair correlation coefficient of dizygotic twins. DAWBA computer version showed that there are 6 persons meet the diagnostic criterion of DSM-Ⅳand ICD-10. The diagnosises includes seperation anxiety (1 person), conduct disorder (2 persons), autistic spectrum (1 person), and hyperactivity (1 person), oppositional disorder (1 person). There are 2 persons meet the diagnostic criterion of ICD-10. The diagnosises includes hyperactivity (1 person), tic disorders (1 person). The intrapair correlation coefficients of monozygotic twins are remarkable in the symptoms and impacts of seperation anxiety and specific phobia, symptoms of PTSD, OCD, generalised anxiety, depression, hyperactivity, conduct disorder and autistic spectrum from parent version; symptoms and impacts of emotions at school and hyperactivity and symptoms of behavior at school, tic and anorexia/bulimia from teacher version. It is educed by step-by-step linear regression that Ytotal IQ=99.325 + 13.546 * birth weight - 0.495 * time of being able to speak complete sentences - 0.593 * mother's free-parenting-style score. E of EPQ is negative correlate with score of FAD-GFS. P is positive correlate with score of mother's GHQ-12. N is positive correlate with father's autocratic-parenting-style score. The probability of any psychiatric disorder of SDQ is positive correlate with father's autocratic-parenting-style score, but is negative correlate with mother's authoritative-parenting-style score. The probability of emotional disorder of SDQ is negative correlate with score of stressful life events. The probability of oppositional/conduct disorder is positive correlate with father's autocratic-parenting-style score. The probability of ADHD/hyperkinesis is positive correlate with mother's authoritative- parenting-style score. General impression of DAWBA is positive correlate with score of stressful life events, but is negative correlate with score of mother's autocratic-parenting-style score.Conclusion: Every approach has its own advantages and disadvantages. The available approaches should be adopted according to the characteristics of the research. Gene(s) played an important role in cognitive functions (including intelligence, executive function and attention), personality and status of mental health in children and adolescent. Moreover, the role of environmental factors must not be ignored. IQ is prossibly influenced by birth weight, development in early age and mother's parenting styles. Personanity is prossibly influenced by family function, status of mother's mental health and father's parenting styles. More attention should be paid to the mental development and mental health in children and adolescent due to the considerable prevalence of subclinical psychiatric symptoms and psychological problems. It is very important and necessary to establish a Chinese twin information database in children and adolescent based on mental development and status of mental health.