Integrating social science and behavioral genetics: Testing the origin of socioeconomic disparities in depression using a genetically informed design

B. Mezuk, J.M. Myers and K.S. Kendler

American Journal of Public Health, 2013, vol. 103, issue SUPPL.1, S145-S151

Abstract: Objectives. We tested 3 hypotheses - social causation, social drift, and common cause - regarding the origin of socioeconomic disparities in major depression and determined whether the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and major depression varied by genetic liability for major depression. Methods. Data were from a sample of female twins in the baseline Virginia Adult Twin Study of Psychiatric and Substance Use Disorders interviewed between 1987 and 1989 (n = 2153). We used logistic regression and structural equation twin models to evaluate these 3 hypotheses. Results. Consistent with the social causation hypothesis, education (odds ratio [OR] = 0.78; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.66, 0.93; P .1). Consistent with a common genetic cause, there was a negative correlation between the genetic components of major depression and education (r2 = -0.22). Co-twin control analyses indicated a protective effect of education and income on major depression even after accounting for genetic liability. Conclusions. This study utilized a genetically informed design to address how social position relates to major depression. Results generally supported the social causation model.

Keywords: adult; article; behavior genetics; economics; educational status; female; genetics; genotype environment interaction; human; income; major depression; methodology; monozygotic twins; questionnaire; risk factor; social class; socioeconomics; sociology; twins, Adult; Depressive Disorder, Major; Educational Status; Female; Gene-Environment Interaction; Genetic Research; Genetics, Behavioral; Humans; Income; Questionnaires; Research Design; Risk Factors; Social Mobility; Social Sciences; Socioeconomic Factors; Twins, Monozygotic (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2013.301247_8

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301247

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