The social and genetic inheritance of educational attainment: Genes, parental education, and educational expansion

Interaction of family SES with children's genetic propensity for cognitive and noncognitive skills: No evidence of the Scarr-Rowe hypothesis for educational outcomes

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.

Nordic paradox in action: The complicated relation between social mobility and health inequalities in an international comparative study

AIMS

Socio-economic inequalities originate from several channels, one of which is family origins, with clear effects on people's health. This paper aims to evaluate the role played by social mobility in determining health inequalities, relying on Blau and Duncan's status attainment model and focusing specifically on two moments of social reproduction of inequalities: one inter-generational, based on the transmission of resources from the family of origin, the other intra-generational, related to the capitalisation of economic resources to maximise well-being.

METHODS

Multi-group models of structural equations were used to examine the direct and indirect effects of parental cultural background, education and economic conditions of respondents on self-perceived health in 28 countries, relying on the European Social Survey (N=38,879).

RESULTS

Overall, the results confirmed the presence of an inter-generational transmission of social and health status. Different models of transmission of health inequalities emerged among the countries considered. Countries characterised by a social democratic welfare regime showed higher social mobility and fewer health inequalities, although in correspondence with a prominent role of economic factors in determining health conditions. On the other hand, in countries where social mobility is lower, health inequalities are more pronounced, yet driven by factors others than economics, such as socio-cultural origins.

CONCLUSIONS

The presence of a higher economic-health gradient in social democratic countries - notwithstanding their egalitarian and universal welfare policies - provides support for the existence of a Nordic paradox in relation to health inequalities.

Polygenic Prediction of Education and Its Role in the Intergenerational Transmission of Education: Cohort Changes Among Finnish Men and Women Born in 1925-1989

Major changes in the educational distribution of the population and in institutions over the past century have affected the societal barriers to educational attainment. These changes can possibly result in stronger genetic associations. Using genetically informed, population-representative Finnish surveys linked to administrative registers, we investigated the polygenic associations and intergenerational transmission of education for those born between 1925 and 1989. First, we found that a polygenic index (PGI) designed to capture genetic predisposition to education strongly increased the predictiveness of educational attainment in pre-1950s cohorts, particularly among women. When decomposing the total contribution of PGI across different educational transitions, the transition between the basic and academic secondary tracks was the most important. This transition accounted for 60-80% of the total PGI-education association among most cohorts. The transition between academic secondary and higher tertiary levels increased its contribution across cohorts. Second, for cohorts born between 1955 and 1984, we observed that one eighth of the association between parental and one's own education is explained by the PGI. There was also an increase in the intergenerational correlation of education among these cohorts, which was partly explained by an increasing association between family education of origin and the PGI.

Gene-environment Interactions and School Tracking during Secondary Education: Evidence from the U.S

There is much evidence to suggest that family background and the context of secondary education both contribute to the formation of educational inequalities. Meanwhile, our knowledge about the role of ability in generating class differences in educational outcomes is still limited. By deploying genetic data that allow us to measure at least part of "innate" ability inherited through biological mechanisms from parents, this study examines how such abilities are associated with educational tracking outcomes among U.S. high schoolers. This study also details our understanding of the role of nature and nurture in the educational attainment processes by testing for gene-environment interactions-that is, a joint, mutually moderating effect of one's genetic potential and one's environment (e.g., family background or school context) on phenotypic outcomes (educational tracking). Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health that collects a unique set of demographic, educational, and genetic characteristics of students, we report the following results: First, a positive association between the genetic potential for educational attainment and taking advanced courses holds even after controlling for previous course tracking measures. Second, results provide suggestive evidence that parental SES amplifies the association between one's genetic potential for educational attainment and mathematics tracking. In contrast to the argument by some stratification scholars that places primary emphasis on the role of social background for the reproduction of educational stratification, the present findings imply that we need to fully consider the role of genetic inheritance for educational stratification in addition to social origin.

Predicting the Adult Clinical and Academic Outcomes in Boys With ADHD: A 7- to 10-Year Follow-Up Study in China

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often persists into adulthood and causes adverse effects on social functioning. The present study aimed to widely investigate the predictors, particularly childhood intelligence quotient (IQ) and family environment factors, on adult clinical and academic outcomes in boys with ADHD. Methods: A total of 101 boys with ADHD in a Chinese Han ADHD cohort were followed up 7-10 years later. Baseline ADHD symptoms were evaluated using the parent version of the ADHD Rating Scale-IV (ADHD-RS-IV) and the Chinese version of the Conners' Parent Rating Scale-Revised (CPRS-48). The intelligence of the child was tested by the China-Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (C-WISC), and family function was assessed by the Family Environment Scale-Chinese Edition (FES-CV). Adult ADHD persistence was defined using DSM-IV criteria for ADHD, and academic outcome fell into two categories: higher academic level group (studying in senior middle school or above) and lower academic level group (studying in vocational secondary schools or below). Results: Stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the father's character, impulsive-hyperactive index as measured by the CPRS-48, and intellectual-cultural index as measured by the FES-CV independently predicted clinical outcomes in adults, with an AUC of 0.770 (p < 0.001, 95% CI = 0.678-0.863). The corresponding sensitivity and specificity were 0.743 and 0.727, respectively. The father's education level, family economic level, and verbal IQ (VIQ) on the C-WISC independently predicted adult academic outcomes, with an AUC of 0.870 (p < 0.001, 95% CI = 0.796-0.944). The corresponding sensitivity and specificity were 0.813 and 0.783, respectively. Conclusion: Initial ADHD symptom severity and IQ, father's character and education level, and family atmosphere and function affect adult clinical and academic outcomes. Addressing these areas early may help to improve the prognosis of ADHD into adulthood.