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The Enrichment Study of the Minnesota Twin Family Study: Increasing the Yield of Twin Families at High Risk for Externalizing Psychopathology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2012

Margaret A. Keyes*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States of America. mkeyes@tfs.psych.umn.edu
Stephen M. Malone
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States of America.
Irene J. Elkins
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States of America.
Lisa N. Legrand
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States of America.
Matt McGue
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States of America; Department of Epidemiology, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark.
William G. Iacono
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States of America.
*
*Address for correspondence: Margaret Keyes, Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, 75 East River Rd, Minneapolis, MN 55455.

Abstract

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The Enrichment Study (ES) was designed to extend the Minnesota Twin Family Study (MTFS) by oversampling 11-year-old twins at especially high risk for substance use disorders by virtue of having a childhood disruptive disorder. The sample was ascertained from Minnesota birth records. To identify high-risk twins, we conducted telephone screening interviews for parent-reported symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and conduct disorder (CD) as well as indications of academic disengagement. Twins who exceeded a predetermined threshold were invited to participate. To facilitate comparison with the previously ascertained MTFS participants, a random sample of 11-year-old twins was also recruited. As part of the ES study, 499 twin pairs, and their parents, visited the University of Minnesota, where each participant completed a clinical interview, psychophysiological evaluation, and thorough assessment of environmental risk. We were highly successful in recruiting at-risk twins; 52% of the screened male twins and 41% of the screened females met criteria for a diagnosis of ADHD, CD, or oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). At the pair level, 63% of the screened pairs had at least one member with a childhood disruptive disorder. This article provides an overview of the study design and includes a review of recent findings using this sample of twins.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009