The structure of psychiatric comorbidity without selection and assortative mating (Updated June 20, 2024).

A recent study conducted in Norway examined the structure of psychiatric comorbidity, or the co-occurrence of multiple psychiatric disorders, within families. The researchers compared the genetic factors associated with comorbidity between families and within families, using data from over 25,000 genotyped parent-offspring trios. They found that the best-fitting model for both analyses included three subfactors related to neurodevelopment, psychosis, and constraint, in addition to a genetic p-factor. The study also revealed evidence of assortative mating for the psychosis and constraint subfactors. The researchers concluded that within-family analyses provide valuable insights into the mechanisms driving psychiatric comorbidity and their impact on population health. However, they noted potential participation bias in cohort studies that could affect the generalizability of findings. This study is a preprint and has not yet undergone peer review. [Extracted from the article]