Gene-environment correlations and genetic confounding underlying the association between media use and mental health

TY - JOUR

T1 - Gene-environment correlations and genetic confounding underlying the association between media use and mental health

AU - Ayorech, Ziada

AU - Baldwin, Jessie R.

AU - Pingault, Jean Baptiste

AU - Rimfeld, Kaili

AU - Plomin, Robert

N1 - Funding Information: We gratefully acknowledge the ongoing contribution of the participants in the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS) and their families. TEDS is supported by a program Grant to RP from the UK Medical Research Council (MR/M021475/1 and previously G0901245), with additional support from the US National Institutes of Health (AG046938). The research leading to these results has also received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/Grant Agreement 602768 and ERC Grant Agreement 295366. ZA is supported by a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship from the European Union (894675). JRB is supported by a Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship (Grant 215917/Z/19/Z). KR is supported by a Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship (Grant 213514/Z/18/Z). This research was funded in whole, or in part by the Wellcome Trust. For the purpose of open access, the author has applied a CC BY public copyright licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission. Publisher Copyright: © 2023, The Author(s).

PY - 2023/12

Y1 - 2023/12

N2 - The increase in online media use and mental health problems have prompted investigations into their association, although most literature is focussed on deleterious effects. We assessed the aetiology of media use and mental health associations (M age = 22.14, SD = 0.85) using twin (n = 4000 pairs) and polygenic score methods (n = 6000 unrelated individuals) in the Twins Early Development Study. Beyond the traditionally explored negative uses of online media (online victimisation and problematic internet use), we investigate general media uses such as posting online and watching videos and distinguish both positive (pro-social behaviour) and negative (anxiety, depression, peer and behaviour problems) mental health measures. Negative media use correlated with poor mental health (r = 0.11–0.32), but general media use correlated with prosocial behaviour (r = 0.20) and fewer behavioural problems (r = − 0.24). Twin analyses showed that both general and negative media use were moderately heritable (ranging from 20 to 49%) and their associations with mental health were primarily due to genetic influences (44–88%). Genetic sensitivity analysis combining polygenic scores with heritability estimates also suggest genetic confounding. Results indicate research on the mental health impact of media use should adopt genetically informed designs to strengthen causal inference.

AB - The increase in online media use and mental health problems have prompted investigations into their association, although most literature is focussed on deleterious effects. We assessed the aetiology of media use and mental health associations (M age = 22.14, SD = 0.85) using twin (n = 4000 pairs) and polygenic score methods (n = 6000 unrelated individuals) in the Twins Early Development Study. Beyond the traditionally explored negative uses of online media (online victimisation and problematic internet use), we investigate general media uses such as posting online and watching videos and distinguish both positive (pro-social behaviour) and negative (anxiety, depression, peer and behaviour problems) mental health measures. Negative media use correlated with poor mental health (r = 0.11–0.32), but general media use correlated with prosocial behaviour (r = 0.20) and fewer behavioural problems (r = − 0.24). Twin analyses showed that both general and negative media use were moderately heritable (ranging from 20 to 49%) and their associations with mental health were primarily due to genetic influences (44–88%). Genetic sensitivity analysis combining polygenic scores with heritability estimates also suggest genetic confounding. Results indicate research on the mental health impact of media use should adopt genetically informed designs to strengthen causal inference.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85146606560&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1038/s41598-022-25374-0

DO - 10.1038/s41598-022-25374-0

M3 - Article

C2 - 36658215

AN - SCOPUS:85146606560

SN - 2045-2322

VL - 13

JO - Scientific Reports

JF - Scientific Reports

IS - 1

M1 - 1030

ER -