Colombo Twin and Singleton Study (CoTASS): A description of a population based twin study of mental disorders in Sri Lanka
2008

Colombo Twin and Singleton Study: Understanding Mental Disorders in Sri Lanka

Sample size: 6023 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Siribaddana Sisira H, Ball Harriet A, Hewage Suwin N, Glozier Nick, Kovas Yulia, Dayaratne DARK, Sumathipala Athula, McGuffin Peter, Hotopf Matthew

Primary Institution: Sri Lanka Twin Registry, Institute of Research and Development, Battaramulla, Sri Lanka

Hypothesis

The study aims to explore the genetic and environmental influences on mental disorders in a diverse population in Sri Lanka.

Conclusion

The study has created a unique resource for understanding the influences on mental disorders in developing countries.

Supporting Evidence

  • The study identified 19,302 individuals for the twin register.
  • 4,024 twins were interviewed, including 1,954 complete pairs.
  • 2,019 singletons were also interviewed.

Takeaway

This study looked at twins and single people in Sri Lanka to learn more about what causes mental health problems.

Methodology

A population-based twin register was established, and participants were randomly selected for interviews about mental disorders and environmental exposures.

Potential Biases

Potential bias due to the method of twin identification and the representativeness of the sample.

Limitations

The study may not fully account for all environmental risk factors and relies on self-reported data.

Participant Demographics

The mean age of participants was 34 years, with 46.2% male and 90.1% Sinhalese ethnicity.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-244X-8-49

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