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The Genetic Epidemiology of Self-Esteem

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Marc-André Roy ,
Michael C. Neale  and
Kenneth S. Kendler
Marc-André Roy*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Medical College of Virginia, Centre de Recherche Université Laval Robert-Giffard, Beau port, Québec
Michael C. Neale
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Medical College of Virginia
Kenneth S. Kendler
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychiatry and Human Genetics, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
*
Dr Roy, Centre de Recherche Université Laval Robert-Giffard, 2601 de la Canardière, Beauport, Province de Québec, Canada G1J 2G3
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Extract

Background

Previous studies on self-esteem have focused exclusively on its psychosocial determinants. The goal of the present study is to clarify genetic v. environmental determinants of self-esteem.

Method

Participants were Caucasian women sampled from the Virginia Twin Register: 363 pairs of MZ and 238 pairs of DZ twins were available from the first wave of the study, and 430 pairs of MZ and 308 pairs of DZ twins from the second. Self-esteem was assessed with the Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale.

Results

Using univariate twin analyses of self-esteem and a repeated measurement twin model, we found that self-esteem is a moderately heritable trait (heritability = 52% in the repeated measurement model); environmental influences are also very important, and are probably mostly not shared by members of a twin pair.

Conclusions

Aetiological models of self-esteem which examine only psychosocial factors are incomplete; genetic factors need to be integrated.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 166 , Issue 6 , June 1995 , pp. 813 - 820
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1995 

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