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The p factor: Genetic analyses support a general dimension of psychopathology in childhood and adolescence

View ORCID ProfileA.G. Allegrini, View ORCID ProfileR. Cheesman, View ORCID ProfileK. Rimfeld, View ORCID ProfileS. Selzam, View ORCID ProfileJB. Pingault, View ORCID ProfileT.C. Eley, View ORCID ProfileR. Plomin
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/591354
A.G. Allegrini
1Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, UK
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  • ORCID record for A.G. Allegrini
R. Cheesman
1Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, UK
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K. Rimfeld
1Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, UK
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S. Selzam
1Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, UK
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JB. Pingault
1Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, UK
2Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London
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T.C. Eley
1Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, UK
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R. Plomin
1Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, UK
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  • For correspondence: robert.plomin@kcl.ac.uk
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Abstract

Background Diverse behaviour problems in childhood correlate phenotypically, suggesting a general dimension of psychopathology that has been called the p factor. The shared genetic architecture between childhood psychopathology traits also supports a genetic p. This study systematically investigates the manifestation of this common dimension across self-, parent- and teacher-rated measures in childhood and adolescence.

Methods The sample included 7,026 twin pairs from the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS). First, we employed multivariate twin models to estimate common genetic and environmental influences on p based on diverse measures of behaviour problems rated by children, parents and teachers at ages 7, 9, 12 and 16 (depressive symptoms, emotional problems, peer problems, autistic symptoms, hyperactivity, antisocial, conduct and psychopathic symptoms). Second, to assess the stability of genetic and environmental influences on p across time, we conducted longitudinal twin modelling of the first phenotypic principal components of childhood psychopathological measures across each of the four ages. Third, we created a genetic p factor in 7,026 unrelated genotyped individuals based on eight polygenic scores for adult psychiatric disorders to estimate how a general polygenic predisposition to adult psychiatric disorders relates to childhood p.

Results Behaviour problems were consistently correlated phenotypically and genetically across ages and raters. The p factor is substantially heritable (50-60%), and manifests consistently across diverse ages and raters. Genetic correlations of p components across childhood and adolescence suggest stability over time (49-78%). A polygenic general psychopathology factor, derived from studies of adult psychiatric disorders consistently predicted a general phenotypic p factor across development.

Conclusions Diverse forms of psychopathology consistently load on a common p factor, which is highly heritable. There are substantial genetic influences on the stability of p across childhood. Our analyses indicate genetic overlap between general risk for psychiatric disorders in adulthood and p in childhood, even as young as age 7. The p factor has far-reaching implications for genomic research and, eventually, for diagnosis and treatment of behaviour problems.

  • Abbreviations

    P
    general psychopathology factor
    PCA
    principal component analysis
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    Posted March 28, 2019.
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    The p factor: Genetic analyses support a general dimension of psychopathology in childhood and adolescence
    A.G. Allegrini, R. Cheesman, K. Rimfeld, S. Selzam, JB. Pingault, T.C. Eley, R. Plomin
    bioRxiv 591354; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/591354
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    The p factor: Genetic analyses support a general dimension of psychopathology in childhood and adolescence
    A.G. Allegrini, R. Cheesman, K. Rimfeld, S. Selzam, JB. Pingault, T.C. Eley, R. Plomin
    bioRxiv 591354; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/591354

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