Genetic Contributions to the Development of Personality Disorders

Personality disorders (PDs) are complex, enduring patterns of cognition, emotion, and behavior that deviate from cultural norms and impair social and occupational functioning. Accumulating evidence indicates that both genetic predispositions and environmental factors contribute to the etiology of PDs, yet the precise interplay between these influences remains incompletely understood. This review synthesizes findings from twin, family, and molecular genetic studies to provide a comprehensive overview of heritable contributions to PDs. Twin and family studies consistently demonstrate moderate to high heritability across a range of PDs, while molecular research highlights the polygenic nature of personality traits and their associations with disorder risk. Environmental exposures, including early-life adversity and familial context, interact with genetic vulnerability to shape developmental trajectories and the manifestation of pathological traits. The integration of behavioral, developmental, and molecular evidence underscores that PDs reflect extreme expressions of genetically influenced personality dimensions modulated by environmental factors. These insights have critical implications for early identification, prevention, and intervention strategies, and highlight the need for continued research into gene-environment mechanisms and dimensional models of personality pathology.

کلیدواژه ها:

Personality Disorders ، Genetics ، Heritability ، Gene-environment Interaction ، Personality Traits ، Developmental Psychopathology