How are children’s perceptions of the home environment associated with a general psychopathology factor across childhood?
Authors: Nejand Jack K. , Malanchini Margherita , Voronin Ivan , Eley Thalia C. , Rimfeld Kaili 
Published: August 2024

Background

Comorbidity and heterogeneity in psychiatric disorders may stem from a general psychopathology (p) factor influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Although the relative contributions of these influences on psychopathology are established, the longitudinal associations between p-factor and specific environmental exposures across development are not well understood. Using a longitudinal genetically informative design, this study investigates the association between the home environment and p-factor across childhood.

Methods

Data were obtained from the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS). Cross-lagged panel analyses were conducted separately to ascertain the direction of associations between parent-rated p, self-rated p, and self-rated home environment (chaos at home and parental discipline) at ages 9, 12, and 16 (N=6,213). Biometric autoregressive cross-lagged twin models were used to assess the aetiology of these associations, and MZ differences analyses were used to control for familial effects.

Results

Both latent factors were stable over time, although twin-rated p-factor (r= 0.44-0.40) was more variable than parent-rated p-factor (r= 0.72-0.63). ‘Home environment’ was more variable than p-factor uniformly. Small, significant bi-directional associations were found between p-factor and home environment, with stronger cross-lagged paths from p-factor to home environment than vice versa. These longitudinal associations persisted over time, though attenuated for parent-rated p-factor. Genetic analyses revealed that bi-directional cross-lagged paths were largely explained by shared environmental factors, with a smaller proportion explained by genetic factors. This pattern of results was confirmed in MZ differences analyses.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest a dynamic and bidirectional relationship between p-factor and the home environment across development, predominantly influenced by shared environmental factors. Changes in one can influence the other, highlighting the complexity of psychopathology’s environmental influences. This underscores the need for further investigation into gene-environment interplay to inform approaches to psychopathology prevention and intervention.

Key points and relevance

The relationship between p-factor and the home environment is dynamic and bidirectional, indicating that changes in one can influence the other across different developmental stages. However, the effect sizes of these relationships were modest.

Shared environmental factors played a major role in driving cross-lagged associations between p-factor and the home environment, with some genetic contribution, suggesting that the family environment can significantly shape this relationship.

These findings necessitate deeper investigations into gene-environment interplay in shaping psychopathology. A better understanding of these dynamics could inform effective prevention and intervention strategies for developmental psychopathology.