Children who have two copies of a certain gene are more likely to experience emotional difficulties when they are bullied by other children, according to a new study from Duke University.
- Dr. Karen Sugden and her colleagues studied 1,116 pairs of same-sex twins ages 5 to 12 years. Half of them were identical twins.
- The children were tested at ages five, seven, ten and 12.
- 230 of the children children were victims of bullies.
- Those who carried two copies of the gene 5-HTT were more likely to experience anxiety, depression and social withdrawal when bullied.
Dr. Sugden used identical twins in order to rule out the possibility of pre-existing emotional problems. If both twins carried two short copies of the 5-HTT gene, but only one was bullied, only the one that was bullied had emotional difficulty. Previous studies have found that the short form of the gene intensifies emotional reactions to stress.
This study appears in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Posted By: Jane St. Clair
