TY - JOUR
T1 - Genetic Influence on Social Support
T2 - A Twin Study
AU - Gonggrijp, Bodine M A
AU - van de Weijer, Steve G A
AU - van Dongen, Jenny
AU - Bijleveld, Catrien C J H
AU - Boomsma, Dorret I
PY - 2024/10/2
Y1 - 2024/10/2
N2 - Social support is often considered an environmental factor affecting health, especially in aging populations. However, its genetic underpinnings suggest a more complex origin. This study investigates the heritability of social support through applying a threshold model on data of a large adult sample of twins (N = 8019) from the Netherlands Twin Register, collected between 2009 and 2011. The study employed the Duke - UNC Functional Social Support Questionnaire to assess social support quality. Our analysis revealed genetic contributions to social support, with heritability estimated at 37%, without a contribution of shared environment and no differences between men and women in heritability. The study's results underscore the complexity of social support as a trait influenced by genetic and environmental factors, challenging the notion that it is solely an environmental construct.
AB - Social support is often considered an environmental factor affecting health, especially in aging populations. However, its genetic underpinnings suggest a more complex origin. This study investigates the heritability of social support through applying a threshold model on data of a large adult sample of twins (N = 8019) from the Netherlands Twin Register, collected between 2009 and 2011. The study employed the Duke - UNC Functional Social Support Questionnaire to assess social support quality. Our analysis revealed genetic contributions to social support, with heritability estimated at 37%, without a contribution of shared environment and no differences between men and women in heritability. The study's results underscore the complexity of social support as a trait influenced by genetic and environmental factors, challenging the notion that it is solely an environmental construct.
U2 - 10.1017/thg.2024.32
DO - 10.1017/thg.2024.32
M3 - Article
C2 - 39355956
SN - 1832-4274
SP - 1
EP - 5
JO - Twin research and human genetics : the official journal of the International Society for Twin Studies
JF - Twin research and human genetics : the official journal of the International Society for Twin Studies
ER -