Genetics of environmental sensitivity and its association with variations in emotional problems, autistic traits, and wellbeing

Abstract

Greater environmental sensitivity has been associated with increased risk of mental health problems, especially in response to stressors, and lower levels of subjective wellbeing. Conversely, sensitivity also correlates with lower risk of emotional problems in the absence of adversity, and in response to positive environmental influences. Additionally, sensitivity has been found to correlate positively with autistic traits. Individual differences in environmental sensitivity are partly heritable, but it is unknown to what extent the aetiological factors underlying sensitivity overlap with those on emotional problems (anxiety and depressive symptoms), autistic traits and wellbeing. The current study used multivariate twin models and data on sensitivity, emotional problems, autistic traits, and several indices of psychological and subjective wellbeing, from over 2800 adolescent twins in England and Wales. We found that greater overall sensitivity correlated with greater emotional problems, autistic traits, and lower subjective wellbeing. A similar pattern of correlations was found for the Excitation and Sensory factors of sensitivity, but, in contrast, the Aesthetic factor was positively correlated with psychological wellbeing, though not with emotional problems nor autistic traits. The observed correlations were largely due to overlapping genetic influences. Importantly, genetic influences underlying sensitivity explained between 2 and 12% of the variations in emotional problems, autistic traits, and subjective wellbeing, independent of trait-specific or overlapping genetic influences. These findings encourage incorporating the genetics of environmental sensitivity in future genomic studies aiming to delineate the heterogeneity in emotional problems, autistic traits, and wellbeing.

Fig. 1. Model 1 (Cholesky decomposition correlated factors solution model) showing genetic and environmental correlations between sensitivity, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, autistic traits, and subjective wellbeing.

SENS environmental sensitivity, ANX anxiety symptoms, DEP depressive symptoms, AUT autistic traits, WELL subjective wellbeing factor, A additive genetic influences, C common environmental influences, E unique environmental influences. 95% Confidence intervals are shown in parentheses. Straight arrows represent contributions from ACE components to each variable, and curved arrows represent correlations between ACE components for each variable.

Fig. 2. Model 2 (Cholesky decomposition ordered -correlated factors solution model) showing the contribution of genetic and environmental influences from sensitivity to anxiety, and depressive symptoms, autistic traits, and subjective wellbeing.

Sensitivity environmental sensitivity, ANX anxiety symptoms, DEP depressive symptoms, AUT autistic traits, WELL subjective wellbeing score, A additive genetic influences, C common environmental influences, E unique environmental influences. Straight arrows represent contributions from ACE components to the variable, and curved arrows represent correlations between ACE components for each variable. The dotted lines indicate non-significant path estimates.