Francis, Emma Ruby; (2024) Objective and Subjective Experiences and their Associations with Mental Health: a Genetically Informed Approach. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

Background. Subjective and objective measures are often used in psychological and epidemiological research to capture an individual’s experience and understand how subjectively and objectively assessed risk factors subsequently associate with (mental) health outcomes. There is growing evidence however, that subjective and objective measures may not be highly correlated and may be differentially associated with mental health. Why this discrepancy between subjective and objective measures arises in the first place remains unclear. In particular, the role of underlying mental health vulnerabilities in altering individual perception of experiences and, thus, contributing to this discrepancy, remains to be elucidated. This thesis proposes three studies to address both the consequences and the origins of the discrepancy between subjective and objective measures of risk factors relevant to mental health. Aims and Methods. The first study is a meta-analysis that aims to determine the agreement between subjective and objective measures of childhood adversities (bullying victimisation, childhood maltreatment, neighbourhood adversity) and examine whether these measures differentially predict psychopathology (Chapter 2). My second and third studies use data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children to address the origins of those discrepancies for several relevant risk factors relevant to mental health. Using structural equation models, I first test whether underlying mental health vulnerabilities, proxied by polygenic scores, predict the experience of bullying victimisation as captured by self-reports. To better capture the specificity of self versus other reports, I account for reports from mothers and teachers (Chapter 3). In my final study, I turned to a putative risk factor for mental health, i.e., body-related dissatisfaction, for which I have objectively measured anthropometric counterparts (e.g. waist circumference versus waist dissatisfaction). I test whether the genetic predisposition to mental health can predict body-related dissatisfaction after accounting for the corresponding objective anthropometric measures (Chapter 4). Results. My thesis revealed four key findings: (1) subjective and objective measures of adversities are not highly correlated, (2) the effects of childhood adversities on psychopathology are primarily driven by a person's subjective experience, (3) polygenic scores for certain mental health vulnerabilities predict self-reported bullying victimisation, over and above multi-informant reports, revealing both typical evocative gene-environment correlations but also suggesting that mental health vulnerabilities shape the perception of adverse experiences, and (4) polygenic scores for mental health vulnerabilities influence weight and waist dissatisfaction, beyond corresponding anthropometric measures, demonstrating how mental health vulnerabilities shape the perception of one’s own body. Conclusion. This thesis provides novel insights showing that (i) subjective measures of experiences are more strongly associated with mental health than corresponding objective measures, and (ii) mental health vulnerabilities can influence a person’s perception of their experiences, beyond the objectively captured measure. Interventions that target the subjective appraisal of adversities and other risk factors may reduce the risk of subsequent psychopathology.

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