Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1116, USA.
Int J Eat Disord. 2010 Dec;43(8):679-88. doi: 10.1002/eat.20772.
Previous research has shown important developmental shifts ingenetic and environmental influences for disordered eating. However, little research has examined age differences for weight/shape concerns, two key components of eating disorders. The goal of this study was to investigate these age differences in preadolescent, adolescent, young adult, and mid-adult twins.
Participants included 2,618 female twins (ages of 10-41 years) from three large twin registries. Shape and weight concerns were assessed with the Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire.
Genetic influences were modest in preadolescent twins, but significant from early-adolescence through middle adulthood. Shared environmental factors showed the opposite pattern, with the largest shared environmental contributions occurring in the youngest age group. Nonshared environmental effects remained relatively constant across age.
Findings highlight the importance of age differences in genetic and environmental influences. Possible mechanisms include gene x environment interactions and biological changes associated with key developmental stages.
先前的研究表明，在饮食失调方面，遗传和环境影响存在重要的发展转变。然而，很少有研究探讨体重/体型担忧的年龄差异，这是饮食失调的两个关键组成部分。本研究的目的是调查青少年前、青少年、年轻成人和中年成年人双胞胎之间的这些年龄差异。
参与者包括来自三个大型双胞胎登记处的 2618 名女性双胞胎（年龄在 10 至 41 岁之间）。使用饮食失调检查问卷评估体型和体重担忧。
遗传影响在青少年前双胞胎中较小，但从青少年早期到中年成人期则显著。共同环境因素则呈现相反的模式，最大的共同环境贡献发生在最年轻的年龄组。非共享环境效应在整个年龄范围内相对稳定。
研究结果强调了遗传和环境影响在年龄方面的差异的重要性。可能的机制包括基因 x 环境相互作用和与关键发育阶段相关的生物学变化。
