The Beijing Twin Study (BeTwiSt): A Longitudinal Study of Child and Adolescent Development

Abstract

Rates of emotional and behavioral problems among children and adolescents in China are increasing and represent a major public health concern. To investigate the etiology of such problems, including the effects and interplay of genes and environment, the Beijing Twin Study (BeTwiSt) was established. A representative sample of adolescent twins in Beijing (N = 1,387 pairs of adolescent twins, mostly between the ages of 10 and 18 years) was recruited and assessed longitudinally. Data collection included the following: emotional and behavioral problems (e.g., depressive symptoms, anxiety, delinquency, drinking, and smoking); family, peer, and school environments; stress; social and academic competence; cognitive traits (e.g., emotion suppression, rumination, and effortful control); and saliva samples for DNA genotyping and sequencing. The combination of quantitative and molecular genetic approaches and the timeliness of the project, with the sample residing in a region with a rapidly changing economic and cultural climate, are particular strengths of this study. Findings from this study are expected to help understanding of the etiological mechanisms underlying child and adolescent normal and abnormal development in regions undergoing substantial social, cultural, and economic changes.

Liking for name predicts happiness: A behavioral genetic analysis

“…Twins in the BeTwiSt are socio-demographically representative of Beijing adolescents (Chen et al, 2013). To ensure the test was accessible to all participants, we only invited twins who had finished middle school.…”

“…To ensure the test was accessible to all participants, we only invited twins who had finished middle school. For 95% of the twin pairs, zygosity was assigned by DNA testing, with classification accuracy approximating 100%; for the remaining pairs, zygosity was determined by a combination of parent-reports and children's self-reports about co-twin physical similarities and frequency of confusion, which held a predictive accuracy of 91% (Chen et al, 2013). One member of a DZ twin pair was excluded because of data missing for all measures.…”

Genetic and Environmental Etiologies of Adolescent Dysfunctional Attitudes: A Twin Study

“…For the education level of the mothers of the participants, the proportions for the above five academic qualifications were respectively 5.4%, 35.3%, 29.5%, 25.2%, and 4.6%. The representativeness of the twin sample was described in the prior study (Chen et al, 2013). participants.…”

The BDNF Val66Met Polymorphism Interacts with Maternal Parenting Influencing Adolescent Depressive Symptoms: Evidence of Differential Susceptibility Model

“…The participants of the present study were drawn from the adolescent twins in Beijing Twin Study (BeTwiSt) (Chen et al 2013), who are recruited from elementary and middle schools in Beijing, China. The second-born child in each twin pairs was genotyped.…”

“…The sample for this study only included adolescents of Han ethnicity, aged 11-17 years (M = 13.6, SD = 1.80), with genotype data (N = 780, 51.3 % female). The adolescent twins are representative of the general youth population of Beijing in terms of basic demographic characteristics (i.e., family socio-economic status, fathers' educational attainment, parents' marital status or marital quality), with the exception that the mothers of twins had more years of education than the general youth sample (Chen et al 2013).…”