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Ghirardi G, Gil-Hernández CJ, Bernardi F, van Bergen E, Demange P. Interaction of family SES with children's genetic propensity for cognitive and noncognitive skills: No evidence of the Scarr-Rowe hypothesis for educational outcomes. RESEARCH IN SOCIAL STRATIFICATION AND MOBILITY 2024; 92:100960. [PMID: 39220821 PMCID: PMC11364161 DOI: 10.1016/j.rssm.2024.100960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
This study examines the role of genes and environments in predicting educational outcomes. We test the Scarr-Rowe hypothesis, suggesting that enriched environments enable genetic potential to unfold, and the compensatory advantage hypothesis, proposing that low genetic endowments have less impact on education for children from high socioeconomic status (SES) families. We use a pre-registered design with Netherlands Twin Register data (426 ≤ N individuals ≤ 3875). We build polygenic indexes (PGIs) for cognitive and noncognitive skills to predict seven educational outcomes from childhood to adulthood across three designs (between-family, within-family, and trio) accounting for different confounding sources, totalling 42 analyses. Cognitive PGIs, noncognitive PGIs, and parental education positively predict educational outcomes. Providing partial support for the compensatory hypothesis, 39/42 PGI × SES interactions are negative, with 7 reaching statistical significance under Romano-Wolf and 3 under the more conservative Bonferroni multiple testing corrections (p-value < 0.007). In contrast, the Scarr-Rowe hypothesis lacks empirical support, with just 2 non-significant and 1 significant (not surviving Romano-Wolf) positive interactions. Overall, we emphasise the need for future replication studies in larger samples. Our findings demonstrate the value of merging social-stratification and behavioural-genetic theories to better understand the intricate interplay between genetic factors and social contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaia Ghirardi
- Department of Political and Social Sciences, European University Institute (EUI), Florence, Italy
- Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Carlos J. Gil-Hernández
- European Commission, Centre for Advanced Studies, Joint Research Centre, Sevilla, Spain
- Department of Statistics, Computer Science, Applications, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Bernardi
- Department of Sociology II, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - Elsje van Bergen
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit (VU), Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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Jung A, Ishibashi M, Shinya Y, Itakura S. Relationship between maternal grit and effortful control among 18-21-month-old toddlers. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1346428. [PMID: 38827896 PMCID: PMC11140844 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1346428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Grit is known to be effective for long-term academic and social success. However, few studies have focused on the role of grit in parenting and its effect on the development of grit in children. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of maternal grit on children's effortful control (EC), which is thought to be a precursor to grit, using parenting as a mediating factor. Participants in the current study were 412 children (age range: 18-21 months, M = 34.67 months, SD = 4.51 months) and their mothers. We assessed maternal grit, parenting style, maternal EC, and child EC, and found that maternal grit, maternal EC, and parenting style were positively correlated with child EC. Furthermore, maternal grit was related to EC in children not only directly, but also indirectly through responsive parenting. Additionally, maternal grit was found to be directly related to child EC only when assessed separately from maternal EC. The current study's findings suggest that maternal grit is directly related to EC in children in a way that differs from the mother's EC in child-rearing situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Awoun Jung
- Department of Psychology, Ochanomizu University, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Education, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mikako Ishibashi
- Department of Psychology and Humanities, College of Sociology, Edogawa University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Yuta Shinya
- Graduate School of Education, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shoji Itakura
- Research Organization of Open Innovation and Collaboration Ritsumeikan University, Osaka, Japan
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Bruins S, van Bergen E, Masselink MW, Barzeva SA, Hartman CA, Otten R, Rommelse NNJ, Dolan CV, Boomsma DI. Are Genetic and Environmental Risk Factors for Psychopathology Amplified in Children with Below-Average Intelligence? A Population-Based Twin Study. Behav Genet 2024; 54:278-289. [PMID: 38353893 PMCID: PMC11032279 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-023-10174-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
There is a negative association between intelligence and psychopathology. We analyzed data on intelligence and psychopathology to assess this association in seven-year-old Dutch twin pairs (ranging from 616 to 14,150 depending on the phenotype) and estimated the degree to which genetic and environmental factors common to intelligence and psychopathology explain the association. Secondly, we examined whether genetic and environmental effects on psychopathology are moderated by intelligence. We found that intelligence, as assessed by psychometric IQ tests, correlated negatively with childhood psychopathology, as assessed by the DSM-oriented scales of the Child Behavior Check List (CBCL). The correlations ranged between - .09 and - .15 and were mainly explained by common genetic factors. Intelligence moderated genetic and environmental effects on anxiety and negative affect, but not those on ADHD, ODD, and autism. The heritability of anxiety and negative affect was greatest in individuals with below-average intelligence. We discuss mechanisms through which this effect could arise, and we end with some recommendations for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Bruins
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Elsje van Bergen
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Research Institute LEARN!, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Maurits W Masselink
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Stefania A Barzeva
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Catharina A Hartman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Roy Otten
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Nanda N J Rommelse
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Karakter Child and Adolescent Psychiatry University Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Conor V Dolan
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Research and Development (AR&D) Research Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Willems YE, Raffington L, Ligthart L, Pool R, Hottenga JJ, Finkenauer C, Bartels M. No gene by stressful life events interaction on individual differences in adults' self-control. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1388264. [PMID: 38693999 PMCID: PMC11061522 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1388264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Difficulty with self-control, or the ability to alter impulses and behavior in a goal-directed way, predicts interpersonal conflict, lower socioeconomic attainments, and more adverse health outcomes. Etiological understanding, and intervention for low self-control is, therefore, a public health goal. A prominent developmental theory proposes that individuals with high genetic propensity for low self-control that are also exposed to stressful environments may be most at-risk of low levels of self-control. Here we examine if polygenic measures associated with behaviors marked by low self-control interact with stressful life events in predicting self-control. Methods Leveraging molecular data from a large population-based Dutch sample (N = 7,090, Mage = 41.2) to test for effects of genetics (i.e., polygenic scores for ADHD and aggression), stressful life events (e.g., traffic accident, violent assault, financial problems), and a gene-by-stress interaction on self-control (measured with the ASEBA Self-Control Scale). Results Both genetics (β =.03 -.04, p <.001) and stressful life events (β = .11 -.14, p <.001) were associated with individual differences in self-control. We find no evidence of a gene-by-stressful life events interaction on individual differences in adults' self-control. Conclusion Our findings are consistent with the notion that genetic influences and stressful life events exert largely independent effects on adult self-control. However, the small effect sizes of polygenic scores increases the likelihood of null results. Genetically-informed longitudinal research in large samples can further inform the etiology of individual differences in self-control from early childhood into later adulthood and its downstream implications for public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yayouk Eva Willems
- Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Max Planck Research Group Biosocial – Biology, Social Disparities, and Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Laurel Raffington
- Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Max Planck Research Group Biosocial – Biology, Social Disparities, and Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lannie Ligthart
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Rene Pool
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Jouke Jan Hottenga
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Catrin Finkenauer
- Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Universiteit Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Meike Bartels
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Kevenaar ST, van Bergen E, Oldehinkel AJ, Boomsma DI, Dolan CV. The relationship of school performance with self-control and grit is strongly genetic and weakly causal. NPJ SCIENCE OF LEARNING 2023; 8:53. [PMID: 38049407 PMCID: PMC10696063 DOI: 10.1038/s41539-023-00198-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
The non-cognitive skills self-control and grit are often considered predictors of school performance, but whether this relationship is causal remains unclear. We investigated the causality of this association using a twin design. Specifically, we evaluated the direct impact of self-control and grit on school performance, while controlling for genetic or environmental influences common to all three traits (i.e., confounding). Teachers of 4891 Dutch 12-year-old twin pairs (of which 3837 were complete pairs) completed a survey about school performance (school grades), self-control (ASEBA self-control scale), and the perseverance aspect of grit. Our analysis aimed to determine the direct impact of self-control and grit on school performance, while simultaneously controlling for genetic or environmental confounding. Establishing the regression relationship corrected for confounding supports the interpretation of the regression relationship as causal. In all analyses, we corrected for sex, rater bias of the teachers, and parental socioeconomic status. Initially, in the standard regression, self-control, and grit explained 28.4% of the school performance variance. However, allowing for genetic confounding (due to genetic pleiotropy) revealed that most of this association could be attributed to genetic influences that the three traits share. In the presence of genetic pleiotropy, the phenotypic regression of school performance on self-control and grit accounted for only 4.4% (i.e., the effect size association with the causal hypothesis). In conclusion, self-control and grit predict school performance primarily due to genetic pleiotropy, with a much smaller causal effect (R2 = 4.4%). This suggests that interventions targeting self-control and grit alone may yield limited improvements in school performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofieke T Kevenaar
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Research Institute LEARN!, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Elsje van Bergen
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Research Institute LEARN!, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Albertine J Oldehinkel
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Research Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Conor V Dolan
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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