Understanding the genetic and environmental specificity and overlap between well-being and internalizing symptoms in adolescence.

Claire M.A Haworth,Thalia C Eley,Kathryn Carter,Robert Plomin

doi:10.1111/desc.12376

Claire M.A Haworth, Thalia C Eley + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.12376

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Abstract

Moderate inverse correlations are typically found between well‐being and mental illness. We aimed to investigate the role of genes and environments in explaining the relationships between two aspects of well‐being and two measures of internalizing symptoms. Altogether, 4700 pairs of 16‐year‐old twins contributed data on subjective happiness and life satisfaction, as well as symptoms of depression and emotional problems. Well‐being was moderately correlated with internalizing symptoms (range = −0.45, −0.58). Multivariate twin model‐fitting indicated both genetic and environmental overlap. Life satisfaction and happiness demonstrated different patterns of overlap, with stronger genetic links between life satisfaction and depression. Non‐shared environmental influences were largely specific to each trait. This study supports the theory of mental health and illness being partly (but not entirely) correlated dimensions. There are also significant genetic and environmental factors to identify for well‐being that go beyond the absence of mental illness. It is therefore possible that different interventions are needed for treating mental illness and promoting mental health.

Highlights

The World Health Organization states that health is ‘not merely the absence of disease’ (WHO, 2006)
There were mean sex differences in life satisfaction, depression and emotional symptoms, with males scoring higher for life satisfaction, and females scoring higher for symptoms of depression and emotional symptoms (Figure 1 and Supplementary Table 1)
Well-being was moderately correlated with internalizing symptoms, and genetic influences explained between 33 and 44% of the phenotypic correlation. These results support the theory of mental health and illness being partly correlated dimensions

Summary

Introduction

The World Health Organization states that health is ‘not merely the absence of disease’ (WHO, 2006). How does mental health relate to symptoms of mental illness? Can we use indices of mental illness to tell us about mental health, or use measures of positive mental health to inform us about vulnerability to mental illness? It is possible to exhibit both high levels of well-being and mental illness, or show little sign of mental illness but still score low on well-being (Greenspoon & Saklofske, 2001). Symptoms of positive mental health can be construed as symptoms of mental illness, including positive emotion as part of symptoms of mania in bipolar disorder (Gruber, 2011). In the case of twin studies of the relationship between internalizing symptoms and well-being, no study

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