No previous research explored the genetic and environmental structure of Big Five dimensions of personality and higher-order factors in a single twin study, except, in part, for just one study. We used the twin design to estimate the effects of genes and environment on both Five Factor model and related second- and third-order factors (i.e., Alpha [stability], Beta [plasticity], and GFP [general factor of personality]). We analyzed data from 314 adult twins (157 pairs: 83 monozygotic, 74 dizygotic; mean age: 52 years) enrolled in the Italian Twin Register. Participants underwent clinical and instrumental evaluations, and completed a 25-adjective list drawn from the Short Adjectives Checklist to Measure Big Five (SACBIF). We applied quantitative genetic models to unravel the sources of variation and covariation for the Big Five and higher-order factors. We found a similar etiological architecture across the different levels of analysis, with moderate to substantial non-additive genetic and unique environmental influences on all the personality traits, and no shared environmental contribution for any of them. We also detected significant genetic correlations for the Big Five dimensions and the Alpha and Beta super-factors. With some limitations, our results suggest that the etiological architecture of personality may be invariant to the factor level of analysis.

Genetic and Environmental Architecture of Five Factor Model and Super-Factors: An Italian Twin Study / Gigantesco, A.; Fagnani, C.; Alessandri, G.; Carluccio, E.; Stazi, M. A.; Medda, E.. - In: THE SPANISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY. - ISSN 1138-7416. - 25:4(2022), p. e2. [10.1017/SJP.2021.48]

Genetic and Environmental Architecture of Five Factor Model and Super-Factors: An Italian Twin Study

Gigantesco A.;Fagnani C.;Alessandri G.;Carluccio E.;
2022

Abstract

No previous research explored the genetic and environmental structure of Big Five dimensions of personality and higher-order factors in a single twin study, except, in part, for just one study. We used the twin design to estimate the effects of genes and environment on both Five Factor model and related second- and third-order factors (i.e., Alpha [stability], Beta [plasticity], and GFP [general factor of personality]). We analyzed data from 314 adult twins (157 pairs: 83 monozygotic, 74 dizygotic; mean age: 52 years) enrolled in the Italian Twin Register. Participants underwent clinical and instrumental evaluations, and completed a 25-adjective list drawn from the Short Adjectives Checklist to Measure Big Five (SACBIF). We applied quantitative genetic models to unravel the sources of variation and covariation for the Big Five and higher-order factors. We found a similar etiological architecture across the different levels of analysis, with moderate to substantial non-additive genetic and unique environmental influences on all the personality traits, and no shared environmental contribution for any of them. We also detected significant genetic correlations for the Big Five dimensions and the Alpha and Beta super-factors. With some limitations, our results suggest that the etiological architecture of personality may be invariant to the factor level of analysis.
2022
Big Five; Environment; Genes; Personality super-factors; Twin study; Adult; Humans; Italy; Middle Aged; Personality Disorders; Personality; Twins
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
Genetic and Environmental Architecture of Five Factor Model and Super-Factors: An Italian Twin Study / Gigantesco, A.; Fagnani, C.; Alessandri, G.; Carluccio, E.; Stazi, M. A.; Medda, E.. - In: THE SPANISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY. - ISSN 1138-7416. - 25:4(2022), p. e2. [10.1017/SJP.2021.48]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1639065
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