Journal of Abnormal Psychology 1994; 103:1, 32-43.
Personality and psychopathology: Genetic perspectives.
Carey, G., & DiLalla, D. L.
This paper illustrates how recent analytical advances in behavior genetics can use multivariate family data to address questions about the causal role of personality in psychopathology. The small amount of available data suggests that genes may account for over 50% of the observed correlation between neuroticism and state symptoms of anxiety and depression. The mechanics behind such strong genetic correlations are crucial for understanding the causal relationship between a personality trait and a disorder because genetically influenced biological systems may operate as exogenous "third-party" factors that are responsible for what appear to be phenotypic cause-effect relationships.
Supported by a previous NIDA grant.
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