Genetic and environmental influences on psychological traits and eating attitudes in a sample of Spanish schoolchildren.

Introduction: The heritability of eating disorders has been estimated to range from 22% to over 62%.The aim of this study is to determine the relative influence of genetics and environment that contribute to the drive for thinness, body dissatisfaction, perfectionism, and ineffectiveness, by evaluating sex differences in a sample of adolescent twins from Valencia, Spain.

Material And Methods: Five hundred eighty-four pairs of adolescent twins between 13 and 18 years of age completed the study.