C M H H Van Houtem, M L Laine, D I Boomsma, L Ligthart, A J van Wijk, A De Jongh
Evidence from twin studies suggests that genetic factors contribute to the risk of developing a fear or a phobia. The aim of the present study was to review the current literature regarding twin studies describing the genetic basis of specific phobias and their corresponding fears. The analysis included five twin studies on fears and ten twin studies on specific phobias. Heritability estimates of fear subtypes and specific phobia subtypes both varied widely, even within the subtypes. A meta-analysis performed on the twin study results indicated that fears and specific phobias are moderately heritable...
May 2013: Journal of Anxiety Disorders