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Marceau K. The role of parenting in developmental trajectories of risk for adolescent substance use: a bioecological systems cascade model. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1277419. [PMID: 38054168 PMCID: PMC10694242 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1277419] [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: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Parenting is a key influence and prevention target for adolescent substance use, and changes dramatically in form and function during adolescence. This theoretical synthesis reviews evidence of associations of substance use-specific parenting behaviors, dimensions, and styles with adolescent substance use, and integrates key developmental and family theories (e.g., bioecological, dynamical systems, family systems, developmental cascades) and methodological-conceptual advances to illustrate the complex role that parenting plays for the development of adolescent substance use in combination with child and contextual influences. The resulting bioecological systems cascade model centers the dynamic co-development of parenting and child influences in developmental cascades that lead to more or less risk for adolescent substance use. These trajectories are initiated by intergenerational influences, including genetics, parents' familial environments, and child-parent attachment. Culture and context influences are a holistic backdrop shaping parent-adolescent trajectories. Parenting is influences are conceptualized as a complex process by which specific parenting behaviors are informed by and accumulate into parenting dimensions which together comprise general parenting styles and are informed by the broader family context. The co-development of parenting and child biobehavioral risk is shaped by both parents and children, including by the genetics and environments they do and do not share. This co-development is dynamic, and developmental transitions of individuals and the family lead to periods of increased lability or variability that can change the longer-term trajectories of children's risk for substance use. Methodological avenues for future studies to operationalize the model are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine Marceau
- Department of Human Development and Family Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
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Sellers R, Riglin L, Harold GT, Thapar A. Using genetic designs to identify likely causal environmental contributions to psychopathology. Dev Psychopathol 2022; 34:1-13. [PMID: 36200346 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579422000906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The multifactorial nature of psychopathology, whereby both genetic and environmental factors contribute risk, has long been established. In this paper, we provide an update on genetically informative designs that are utilized to disentangle genetic and environmental contributions to psychopathology. We provide a brief reminder of quantitative behavioral genetic research designs that have been used to identify potentially causal environmental processes, accounting for genetic contributions. We also provide an overview of recent molecular genetic approaches that utilize genome-wide association study data which are increasingly being applied to questions relevant to psychopathology research. While genetically informative designs typically have been applied to investigate the origins of psychopathology, we highlight how these approaches can also be used to elucidate potential causal environmental processes that contribute to developmental course and outcomes. We highlight the need to use genetically sensitive designs that align with intervention and prevention science efforts, by considering strengths-based environments to investigate how positive environments can mitigate risk and promote children's strengths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Sellers
- Brighton & Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Lucy Riglin
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- Wolfson Centre for Young People's Mental Health, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Gordon T Harold
- Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- School of Medicine, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Anita Thapar
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- Wolfson Centre for Young People's Mental Health, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
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3
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Kuo SIC, Poore HE, Barr PB, Chirico IS, Aliev F, Bucholz KK, Chan G, Kamarajan C, Kramer JR, McCutcheon VV, Plawecki MH, Dick DM. The role of parental genotype in the intergenerational transmission of externalizing behavior: Evidence for genetic nurturance. Dev Psychopathol 2022; 34:1-11. [PMID: 36200344 PMCID: PMC10076450 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579422000700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine possible pathways by which genetic risk associated with externalizing is transmitted in families. We used molecular data to disentangle the genetic and environmental pathways contributing to adolescent externalizing behavior in a sample of 1,111 adolescents (50% female; 719 European and 392 African ancestry) and their parents from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism. We found evidence for genetic nurture such that parental externalizing polygenic scores were associated with adolescent externalizing behavior, over and above the effect of adolescents' own externalizing polygenic scores. Mediation analysis indicated that parental externalizing psychopathology partly explained the effect of parental genotype on children's externalizing behavior. We also found evidence for evocative gene-environment correlation, whereby adolescent externalizing polygenic scores were associated with lower parent-child communication, less parent-child closeness, and lower parental knowledge, controlling for parental genotype. These effects were observed among participants of European ancestry but not African ancestry, likely due to the limited predictive power of polygenic scores across ancestral background. These results demonstrate that in addition to genetic transmission, genes influence offspring behavior through the influence of parental genotypes on their children's environmental experiences, and the role of children's genotypes in shaping parent-child relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally I-Chun Kuo
- Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Holly E Poore
- Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Peter B Barr
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, USA
- VA New York Harbor Healthcare System, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | | | - Fazil Aliev
- Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Kathleen K Bucholz
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Grace Chan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Chella Kamarajan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - John R Kramer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Vivia V McCutcheon
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - Danielle M Dick
- Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
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Marceau K, Yu L, Knopik VS, Ganiban JM, Neiderhiser JM. Intergenerational transmission of psychopathology: An examination of symptom severity and directionality. Dev Psychopathol 2022; 34:1-14. [PMID: 36097811 PMCID: PMC10008754 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579422000852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The present study examined the intergenerational transmission of internalizing and externalizing symptom severity, which indexes comorbidity, and symptom directionality, which indicates differentiation toward externalizing versus internalizing problems. Data are from 854 male and female, same-sex adult twin pairs born between 1926 and 1971 (32-60 years old, M = 44.9 years, SD = 4.9 years) from the Twin and Offspring Study in Sweden and their adolescent offspring (11-22 years old, M = 15.7 years, SD = 2.4 years, 52% female). Children-of-twins models revealed additive (9%) and dominant (45%) genetic and nonshared environmental (47%) influences on twins' symptom severity, and additive genetic (39%) and nonshared environmental (61%) influences on twins' symptom directionality. Both comorbid problems and preponderance of symptoms of a particular - internalizing versus externalizing - spectrum were correlated across parent and child generations, although associations were modest especially for directionality (i.e., transmission of specific symptom type). By interpreting findings alongside a recent study of adolescent twins, we demonstrate that the intergenerational transmission of symptom severity and symptom directionality are both unlikely to be attributable to genetic transmission, are both likely to be influenced by direct phenotypic transmission and/or nonpassive rGE, and the intergenerational transmission of symptom severity is also likely to be influenced by passive rGE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine Marceau
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Li Yu
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Valerie S Knopik
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Jody M Ganiban
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Jenae M Neiderhiser
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
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Burt SA, Clark DA, Neiderhiser JM. Illuminating the origins of the intergenerational transmission of psychopathology with a novel genetically informed design. Dev Psychopathol 2022; 34:1-11. [PMID: 35635214 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579422000451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Although it is well known that parental depression is transmitted within families across generations, the etiology of this transmission remains unclear. Our goal was to develop a novel study design capable of explicitly examining the etiologic sources of intergenerational transmission. We specifically leveraged naturally-occurring variations in genetic relatedness between parents and their adolescent children in the 720 families participating in the Nonshared Environment in Adolescent Development (NEAD) study, 58.5% of which included a rearing stepparent (nearly always a stepfather). Results pointed squarely to the environmental transmission of psychopathology between fathers and children. Paternal depression was associated with adolescent depression and adolescent behavior problems (i.e., antisocial behavior, headstrong behavior, and attention problems) regardless of whether or not fathers and their children were genetically related. Moreover, these associations persisted to a subset of "blended" families in which the father was biologically related to one participating child but not to the other, and appeared to be mediated via father-child conflict. Such findings are not only fully consistent with the environmental transmission of psychopathology across generations, but also add to extant evidence that parent-child conflict is a robust and at least partially environmental predictor of adolescent psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Alexandra Burt
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | | | - Jenae M Neiderhiser
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
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Reiss D, Ganiban JM, Leve LD, Neiderhiser JM, Shaw DS, Natsuaki MN. Parenting in the Context of the Child: Genetic and Social Processes. Monogr Soc Res Child Dev 2022; 87:7-188. [PMID: 37070594 PMCID: PMC10329459 DOI: 10.1111/mono.12460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 04/19/2023]
Abstract
The focus on the role of parenting in child development has a long-standing history. When measures of parenting precede changes in child development, researchers typically infer a causal role of parenting practices and attitudes on child development. However, this research is usually conducted with parents raising their own biological offspring. Such research designs cannot account for the effects of genes that are common to parents and children, nor for genetically influenced traits in children that influence how they are parented and how parenting affects them. The aim of this monograph is to provide a clearer view of parenting by synthesizing findings from the Early Growth and Development Study (EGDS). EGDS is a longitudinal study of adopted children, their birth parents, and their rearing parents studied across infancy and childhood. Families (N = 561) were recruited in the United States through adoption agencies between 2000 and 2010. Data collection began when adoptees were 9 months old (males = 57.2%; White 54.5%, Black 13.2%, Hispanic/Latinx 13.4%, Multiracial 17.8%, other 1.1%). The median child age at adoption placement was 2 days (M = 5.58, SD = 11.32). Adoptive parents were predominantly in their 30s, White, and coming from upper-middle- or upper-class backgrounds with high educational attainment (a mode at 4-year college or graduate degree). Most adoptive parents were heterosexual couples, and were married at the beginning of the project. The birth parent sample was more racially and ethnically diverse, but the majority (70%) were White. At the beginning of the study, most birth mothers and fathers were in their 20s, with a mode of educational attainment at high school degree, and few of them were married. We have been following these family members over time, assessing their genetic influences, prenatal environment, rearing environment, and child development. Controlling for effects of genes common to parents and children, we confirmed some previously reported associations between parenting, parent psychopathology, and marital adjustment in relation to child problematic and prosocial behavior. We also observed effects of children's heritable characteristics, characteristics thought to be transmitted from parent to child by genetic means, on their parents and how those effects contributed to subsequent child development. For example, we found that genetically influenced child impulsivity and social withdrawal both elicited harsh parenting, whereas a genetically influenced sunny disposition elicited parental warmth. We found numerous instances of children's genetically influenced characteristics that enhanced positive parental influences on child development or that protected them from harsh parenting. Integrating our findings, we propose a new, genetically informed process model of parenting. We posit that parents implicitly or explicitly detect genetically influenced liabilities and assets in their children. We also suggest future research into factors such as marital adjustment, that favor parents responding with appropriate protection or enhancement. Our findings illustrate a productive use of genetic information in prevention research: helping parents respond effectively to a profile of child strengths and challenges rather than using genetic information simply to identify some children unresponsive to current preventive interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Reiss
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine
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Condon EM, Dettmer A, Baker E, McFaul C, Stover CS. Early Life Adversity and Males: Biology, Behavior, and Implications for Fathers' Parenting. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 135:104531. [PMID: 35063493 PMCID: PMC9236197 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Fathers have an important and unique influence on child development, but influences on fathers' parenting have been vastly understudied in the scientific literature. In particular, very little empirical research exists on the effects of early life adversity (ELA; e.g. childhood maltreatment, parental separation) on later parenting among fathers. In this review, we draw from both the human and non-human animal literature to examine the effects of ELA, specifically among males, in the following areas: 1) neurobiology and neurocognitive functioning, 2) hormones and hormone receptors, 3) gene-environment interactions and epigenetics, and 4) behavior and development. Based on these findings, we present a conceptual model to describe the biological and behavioral pathways through which exposure to ELA may influence parenting among males, with a goal of guiding future research and intervention development in this area. Empirical studies are needed to improve understanding of the relationship between ELA and father's parenting, inform the development of paternal and biparental interventions, and prevent intergenerational transmission of ELA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eileen M Condon
- University of Connecticut School of Nursing, 231 Glenbrook Rd, Storrs CT 06269, United States; Yale Early Stress and Adversity Consortium, United States.
| | - Amanda Dettmer
- Yale Early Stress and Adversity Consortium, United States; Yale Child Study Center, 230 S Frontage Rd, New Haven, CT 06519, United States
| | - Ellie Baker
- Yale Child Study Center, 230 S Frontage Rd, New Haven, CT 06519, United States; Division of Psychology and Language Science, University College London (UCL), 26 Bedford Way, Bloomsbury, London WC1H 0AP, United Kingdom
| | - Ciara McFaul
- Yale Child Study Center, 230 S Frontage Rd, New Haven, CT 06519, United States
| | - Carla Smith Stover
- Yale Early Stress and Adversity Consortium, United States; Yale Child Study Center, 230 S Frontage Rd, New Haven, CT 06519, United States
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Kuo SIC, Salvatore JE, Barr PB, Aliev F, Anokhin A, Bucholz KK, Chan G, Edenberg HJ, Hesselbrock V, Kamarajan C, Kramer JR, Lai D, Mallard TT, Nurnberger JI, Pandey G, Plawecki MH, Sanchez-Roige S, Waldman I, Palmer AA, Dick DM. Mapping Pathways by Which Genetic Risk Influences Adolescent Externalizing Behavior: The Interplay Between Externalizing Polygenic Risk Scores, Parental Knowledge, and Peer Substance Use. Behav Genet 2021; 51:543-558. [PMID: 34117972 PMCID: PMC8403154 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-021-10067-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Genetic predispositions and environmental influences both play an important role in adolescent externalizing behavior; however, they are not always independent. To elucidate gene-environment interplay, we examined the interrelationships between externalizing polygenic risk scores, parental knowledge, and peer substance use in impacting adolescent externalizing behavior across two time-points in a high-risk longitudinal sample of 1,200 adolescents (764 European and 436 African ancestry; Mage = 12.99) from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism. Results from multivariate path analysis indicated that externalizing polygenic scores were directly associated with adolescent externalizing behavior but also indirectly via peer substance use, in the European ancestry sample. No significant polygenic association nor indirect effects of genetic risk were observed in the African ancestry group, likely due to more limited power. Our findings underscore the importance of gene-environment interplay and suggest peer substance use may be a mechanism through which genetic risk influences adolescent externalizing behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally I-Chun Kuo
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 842018, 806 W Franklin St, Richmond, VA, 23284, USA.
| | - Jessica E Salvatore
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 842018, 806 W Franklin St, Richmond, VA, 23284, USA
| | - Peter B Barr
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 842018, 806 W Franklin St, Richmond, VA, 23284, USA
| | - Fazil Aliev
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 842018, 806 W Franklin St, Richmond, VA, 23284, USA
| | - Andrey Anokhin
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Kathleen K Bucholz
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Grace Chan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Howard J Edenberg
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Victor Hesselbrock
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Chella Kamarajan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - John R Kramer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Dongbing Lai
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Travis T Mallard
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - John I Nurnberger
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Gayathri Pandey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | | | - Sandra Sanchez-Roige
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Irwin Waldman
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Abraham A Palmer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Institute of Genomic Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Danielle M Dick
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 842018, 806 W Franklin St, Richmond, VA, 23284, USA
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
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McAdams TA, Rijsdijk FV, Zavos HMS, Pingault JB. Twins and Causal Inference: Leveraging Nature's Experiment. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2021; 11:a039552. [PMID: 32900702 PMCID: PMC8168524 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a039552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
In this review, we discuss how samples comprising monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs can be used for the purpose of strengthening causal inference by controlling for shared influences on exposure and outcome. We begin by briefly introducing how twin data can be used to inform the biometric decomposition of population variance into genetic, shared environmental, and nonshared environmental influences. We then discuss how extensions to this model can be used to explore whether associations between exposure and outcome survive correction for shared etiology (common causes). We review several analytical approaches that can be applied to twin data for this purpose. These include multivariate structural equation models, cotwin control methods, direction of causation models (cross-sectional and longitudinal), and extended family designs used to assess intergenerational associations. We conclude by highlighting some of the limitations and considerations that researchers should be aware of when using twin data for the purposes of interrogating causal hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom A McAdams
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, United Kingdom
- Promenta Research Centre, University of Oslo, Oslo 0373, Norway
| | - Fruhling V Rijsdijk
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, United Kingdom
| | - Helena M S Zavos
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, United Kingdom
| | - Jean-Baptiste Pingault
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, United Kingdom
- Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
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Sellers R, Smith AF, Leve LD, Nixon E, Cane T, Cassell JA, Harold GT. Utilising Genetically-Informed Research Designs to Better Understand Family Processes and Child Development: Implications for Adoption and Foster Care Focused Interventions. ADOPTION & FOSTERING 2019; 43:351-371. [PMID: 31576061 PMCID: PMC6771282 DOI: 10.1177/0308575919866526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the interplay between genetic factors and family environmental processes (e.g., inter-parental relationship quality, positive versus negative parenting practices) and children's mental health (e.g., anxiety, depression, conduct problems, ADHD) in the contexts of adoption and foster-care research and practice is critical for effective prevention and intervention programme development. Whilst evidence highlights the importance of family environmental processes for the mental health and well-being of children in adoption and foster care, there is relatively limited evidence of effective interventions specifically for these families. Additionally, family-based interventions not specific to the context of adoption and foster-care typically show small to medium effects, and even where interventions are efficacious, not all children benefit. One explanation for why interventions may not work well for some is that responses to intervention may be influenced by an individual's genetic make-up. This paper summarises how genetically-informed research designs can help disentangle genetic from environmental processes underlying psychopathology outcomes for children, and how this evidence can provide improved insights into the development of more effective preventative intervention targets for adoption and foster-care families. We discuss current difficulties in translating behavioural genetics research to prevention science, and provide recommendations to bridge the gap between behavioural genetics research and prevention science, with lessons for adoption and foster-care research and practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Sellers
- School of Psychology, Andrew and Virginia Rudd Centre for Adoption Research and Practice, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
- Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - A F Smith
- School of Psychology, Andrew and Virginia Rudd Centre for Adoption Research and Practice, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - L D Leve
- Prevention Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, USA
| | - E Nixon
- School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Ireland
| | - T Cane
- School of Social Work and Social Care, University of Sussex, UK
| | - J A Cassell
- Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9PH
| | - G T Harold
- School of Psychology, Andrew and Virginia Rudd Centre for Adoption Research and Practice, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
- Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Ireland
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Hannigan LJ, Rijsdijk FV, Ganiban JM, Reiss D, Spotts EL, Neiderhiser JM, Lichtenstein P, McAdams TA, Eley TC. Shared genetic influences do not explain the association between parent-offspring relationship quality and offspring internalizing problems: results from a Children-of-Twins study. Psychol Med 2018; 48:592-603. [PMID: 28745264 PMCID: PMC5964471 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291717001908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Revised: 06/14/2017] [Accepted: 06/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Associations between parenting and child outcomes are often interpreted as reflecting causal, social influences. However, such associations may be confounded by genes common to children and their biological parents. To the extent that these shared genes influence behaviours in both generations, a passive genetic mechanism may explain links between them. Here we aim to quantify the relative importance of passive genetic v. social mechanisms in the intergenerational association between parent-offspring relationship quality and offspring internalizing problems in adolescence. METHODS We used a Children-of-Twins (CoT) design with data from the parent-based Twin and Offspring Study of Sweden (TOSS) sample [909 adult twin pairs and their offspring; offspring mean age 15.75 (2.42) years], and the child-based Swedish Twin Study of CHild and Adolescent Development (TCHAD) sample [1120 adolescent twin pairs; mean age 13.67 (0.47) years]. A composite of parent-report measures (closeness, conflict, disagreements, expressions of affection) indexed parent-offspring relationship quality in TOSS, and offspring self-reported internalizing symptoms were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) in both samples. RESULTS A social transmission mechanism explained the intergenerational association [r = 0.21 (0.16-0.25)] in our best-fitting model. A passive genetic transmission pathway was not found to be significant, indicating that parental genetic influences on parent-offspring relationship quality and offspring genetic influences on their internalizing problems were non-overlapping. CONCLUSION These results indicate that this intergenerational association is a product of social interactions between children and parents, within which bidirectional effects are highly plausible. Results from genetically informative studies of parenting-related effects should be used to help refine early parenting interventions aimed at reducing risk for psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- L. J. Hannigan
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, MRC Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, London, UK
| | - F. V. Rijsdijk
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, MRC Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, London, UK
| | - J. M. Ganiban
- Department of Psychology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - D. Reiss
- Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - E. L. Spotts
- Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - J. M. Neiderhiser
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
| | - P. Lichtenstein
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinksa Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - T. A. McAdams
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, MRC Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, London, UK
| | - T. C. Eley
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, MRC Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, London, UK
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12
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Pahlen S, Hamdi NR, Dahl Aslan AK, Horwitz BN, Panizzon MS, Petersen I, Zavala C, Christensen K, Finkel D, Franz CE, Gatz M, Johnson W, Kremen WS, Krueger RF, Neiderhiser JM, Reynolds CA, Pedersen NL, McGue M. Age-Moderation of Genetic and Environmental Contributions to Cognitive Functioning in Mid- and Late-Life for Specific Cognitive Abilities. INTELLIGENCE 2018; 68:70-81. [PMID: 30573937 PMCID: PMC6296772 DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2017.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Age moderation of genetic and environmental contributions to Digits Forward, Digits Backward, Block Design, Symbol Digit, Vocabulary, and Synonyms was investigated in a sample of 14,534 twins aged 26 to 98 years. The Interplay of Genes and Environment across Multiple Studies (IGEMS) consortium contributed the sample, which represents nine studies from three countries (USA, Denmark, and Sweden). Average test performance was lower in successively older age groups for all tests. Significant age moderation of additive genetic, shared environmental, and non-shared environmental variance components was observed, but the pattern varied by test. The genetic contribution to phenotypic variance across age was smaller for both Digit Span tests, greater for Synonyms, and stable for Block Design and Symbol Digit. The non-shared environmental contribution was greater with age for the Digit Span tests and Block Design, while the shared environmental component was small for all tests, often more so with age. Vocabulary showed similar age-moderation patterns as Synonyms, but these effects were nonsignificant. Findings are discussed in the context of theories of cognitive aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shandell Pahlen
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA,Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA,Correspondence: Shandell Pahlen, Department of Psychology, University of California-Riverside, 900 University Ave, CA 92521, Riverside, USA.
| | - Nayla R. Hamdi
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Anna K. Dahl Aslan
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm SE-17177, Sweden,Jönköping Affiliation to School of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden
| | - Briana N. Horwitz
- Department of Psychology, California State University Fullerton, Fullerton, CA 92834, USA
| | - Matthew S. Panizzon
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Inge Petersen
- The Danish Twin Register, The Danish Aging Research Center, University of Southern Denmark, DK-5000 Odense C, Denmark
| | - Catalina Zavala
- Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA,Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Kaare Christensen
- The Danish Twin Register, The Danish Aging Research Center, University of Southern Denmark, DK-5000 Odense C, Denmark
| | - Deborah Finkel
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University Southeast, New Albany, IN 47150, USA
| | - Carol E. Franz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Margaret Gatz
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm SE-17177, Sweden,Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Wendy Johnson
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, UK
| | - William S. Kremen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Robert F. Krueger
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | | | - Chandra A. Reynolds
- Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Nancy L. Pedersen
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm SE-17177, Sweden,Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Matt McGue
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA,The Danish Twin Register, The Danish Aging Research Center, University of Southern Denmark, DK-5000 Odense C, Denmark
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13
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Leve LD, Neiderhiser JM, Harold GT, Natsuaki MN, Bohannan BJM, Cresko WA. Naturalistic Experimental Designs as Tools for Understanding the Role of Genes and the Environment in Prevention Research. PREVENTION SCIENCE : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR PREVENTION RESEARCH 2018; 19:68-78. [PMID: 28093649 PMCID: PMC5511771 DOI: 10.1007/s11121-017-0746-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Before genetic approaches were applied in experimental studies with human populations, they were used by animal and plant breeders to observe, and experimentally manipulate, the role of genes and environment on specific phenotypic or behavioral outcomes. For obvious ethical reasons, the same level of experimental control is not possible in human populations. Nonetheless, there are natural experimental designs in human populations that can serve as logical extensions of the rigorous quantitative genetic experimental designs used by animal and plant researchers. Applying concepts such as cross-fostering and common garden rearing approaches from the life science discipline, we describe human designs that can serve as naturalistic proxies for the controlled quantitative genetic experiments facilitated in life sciences research. We present the prevention relevance of three such human designs: (1) children adopted at birth by parents to whom they are not genetically related (common garden approach); (2) sibling designs where one sibling is reared from birth with unrelated adoptive parents and the other sibling is reared from birth by the biological mother of the sibling pair (cross-fostering approach); and (3) in vitro fertilization designs, including egg donation, sperm donation, embryo donation, and surrogacy (prenatal cross-fostering approach). Each of these designs allows for differentiation of the effects of the prenatal and/or postnatal rearing environment from effects of genes shared between parent and child in naturalistic ways that can inform prevention efforts. Example findings from each design type are provided and conclusions drawn about the relevance of naturalistic genetic designs to prevention science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leslie D Leve
- Prevention Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403-6217, USA.
| | | | - Gordon T Harold
- University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
- Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia
| | | | - Brendan J M Bohannan
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution and Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - William A Cresko
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution and Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
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14
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Elam KK, Chassin L, Lemery-Chalfant K, Pandika D, Wang FL, Bountress K, Dick D, Agrawal A. Affiliation with substance-using peers: Examining gene-environment correlations among parent monitoring, polygenic risk, and children's impulsivity. Dev Psychobiol 2017; 59:561-573. [PMID: 28561888 PMCID: PMC6035731 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2016] [Accepted: 05/05/2017] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Parental monitoring can buffer the effect of deviant peers on adolescents' substance use by reducing affiliation with substance-using peers. However, children's genetic predispositions may evoke poorer monitoring, contributing to negative child outcomes. We examined evocative genotype-environment correlations underlying children's genetic predisposition for behavioral undercontrol and parental monitoring in early adolescence via children's impulsivity in middle childhood, and the influence of parental monitoring on affiliation with substance-using peers a year and a half later (n = 359). Genetic predisposition for behavioral undercontrol was captured using a polygenic risk score, and a portion of passive rGE was controlled by including parents' polygenic risk scores. Children's polygenic risk predicted poorer parental monitoring via greater children's impulsivity, indicating evocative rGE, controlling for a portion of passive rGE. Poorer parental monitoring predicted greater children's affiliation with substance-using peers a year and a half later. Results are discussed with respect to gene-environment correlations within developmental cascades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kit K. Elam
- T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Laurie Chassin
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | | | - Danielle Pandika
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Frances L. Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Kaitlin Bountress
- National Crime Victims Research & Treatment Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Danielle Dick
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
| | - Arpana Agrawal
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri
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15
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Wang FL, Chassin L, Lee M, Haller M, King K. Roles of Response Inhibition and Gene-Environment Interplay in Pathways to Adolescents' Externalizing Problems. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE 2017; 27:258-277. [PMID: 28876522 PMCID: PMC5588699 DOI: 10.1111/jora.12270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
This study used two waves of data to investigate pathways through which adolescents' response inhibition related to later externalizing problems. A polygenic risk score indexed genetic risk for poor response inhibition. Adolescents' performance on a response inhibition task mediated the relation between adolescents' polygenic risk scores and mother's inconsistent parenting (i.e., evocative rGE), even after controlling for mothers' genetic risk (i.e., passive rGE). Mothers' inconsistent parenting subsequently prospectively predicted adolescents' externalizing problems. Adolescents' response inhibition also prospectively predicted later externalizing behaviors. These findings were subgroup-specific, with greater risk for non-Hispanic Caucasian boys with substance-disordered parents. Results suggest that poor response inhibition may increase risk for adolescents' externalizing problems both directly and by evoking certain environmental conditions.
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16
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McAdams TA, Rijsdijk FV, Narusyte J, Ganiban JM, Reiss D, Spotts E, Neiderhiser JM, Lichtenstein P, Eley TC. Associations between the parent-child relationship and adolescent self-worth: a genetically informed study of twin parents and their adolescent children. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2017; 58:46-54. [PMID: 27426633 PMCID: PMC5215430 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Low self-worth during adolescence predicts a range of emotional and behavioural problems. As such, identifying potential sources of influence on self-worth is important. Aspects of the parent-child relationship are often associated with adolescent self-worth but to date it is unclear whether such associations may be attributable to familial confounding (e.g. genetic relatedness). We set out to clarify the nature of relationships between parental expressed affection and adolescent self-worth, and parent-child closeness and adolescent self-worth. METHODS We used data from the Twin and Offspring Study in Sweden, a children-of-twins sample comprising 909 adult twin pairs with adolescent children. Using these data we were able to apply structural equation models with which we could examine whether associations remained after accounting for genetic transmission. RESULTS Results demonstrated that parent-child closeness and parental-expressed affection were both phenotypically associated with adolescent self-worth. Associations could not be attributed to genetic relatedness between parent and child. CONCLUSIONS Parent-child closeness and parental affection are associated with adolescent self-worth above and beyond effects attributable to genetic relatedness. Data were cross-sectional, so the direction of effects cannot be confirmed but findings support the notion that positive parent-child relationships increase adolescent self-worth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom A. McAdams
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & NeuroscienceMRC Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry CentreKing's College LondonLondonUK
| | - Fruhling V. Rijsdijk
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & NeuroscienceMRC Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry CentreKing's College LondonLondonUK
| | - Jurgita Narusyte
- Division of Insurance MedicineDepartment of Clinical NeuroscienceKarolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Jody M. Ganiban
- Department of PsychologyGeorge Washington UniversityWashingtonDCUSA
| | | | - Erica Spotts
- Office of Behavioral and Social Science ResearchNIHBethesdaMDUSA
| | | | - Paul Lichtenstein
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and BiostatisticsKarolinksa InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Thalia C. Eley
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & NeuroscienceMRC Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry CentreKing's College LondonLondonUK
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17
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Finzi-Dottan R, Dayan-Gazith E, Borosh T, Golubchik P. Involvement and Warmth of Fathers with Mental Illness: The Role of the Caregiving System, Parental Self-Efficacy, Social Support and Child Characteristics. Community Ment Health J 2016; 52:972-982. [PMID: 27137508 DOI: 10.1007/s10597-016-0011-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2015] [Accepted: 04/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
This study compares the levels and predictors of paternal warmth and involvement of 69 fathers with serious mental illness (SMI) and 69 matched non-clinical (NC) fathers in Israel. Findings show that the NC fathers were more involved with their children, whereas the SMI fathers reported more warmth and perceived their children as less difficult. The interactions that were found in the regression analyses highlight the differences between the two groups. Among the SMI fathers, but not the NC fathers, higher paternal self-efficacy was associated with increased father involvement, and lower family support was associated with decreased warmth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricky Finzi-Dottan
- School of Social Work, Bar Ilan University, 529002, Ramat Gan, Israel. .,Child and Adolescence Outpatient Clinic, Geha Mental Health Center, P.O.B. 102, 49100, Petah Tiqva, Israel.
| | | | - Tali Borosh
- School of Social Work, Bar Ilan University, 529002, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Pavel Golubchik
- Child and Adolescence Outpatient Clinic, Geha Mental Health Center, P.O.B. 102, 49100, Petah Tiqva, Israel.,Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel
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18
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Adolescents', mothers', and fathers' gendered coping strategies during conflict: Youth and parent influences on conflict resolution and psychopathology. Dev Psychopathol 2016; 27:1025-44. [PMID: 26439060 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579415000668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
We observed gendered coping strategies and conflict resolution outcomes used by adolescents and parents during a conflict discussion task to evaluate associations with current and later adolescent psychopathology. We studied 137 middle- to upper-middle-class, predominantly Caucasian families of adolescents (aged 11-16 years, 65 males) who represented a range of psychological functioning, including normative, subclinical, and clinical levels of problems. Adolescent coping strategies played key roles both in the extent to which parent-adolescent dyads resolved conflict and in the trajectory of psychopathology symptom severity over a 2-year period. Gender-prototypic adaptive coping strategies were observed in parents but not youth, (i.e., more problem solving by fathers than mothers and more regulated emotion-focused coping by mothers than fathers). Youth-mother dyads more often achieved full resolution of conflict than youth-father dyads. There were generally not bidirectional effects among youth and parents' coping across the discussion except boys' initial use of angry/hostile coping predicted fathers' angry/hostile coping. The child was more influential than the parent on conflict resolution. This extended to exacerbation/alleviation of psychopathology over 2 years: higher conflict resolution mediated the association of adolescents' use of problem-focused coping with decreases in symptom severity over time. Lower conflict resolution mediated the association of adolescents' use of angry/hostile emotion coping with increases in symptom severity over time. Implications of findings are considered within a broadened context of the nature of coping and conflict resolution in youth-parent interactions, as well as on how these processes impact youth well-being and dysfunction over time.
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19
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Samek DR, Wilson S, McGue M, Iacono WG. Genetic and Environmental Influences on Parent-Child Conflict and Child Depression Through Late Adolescence. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY 2016; 47:S5-S20. [PMID: 27043719 DOI: 10.1080/15374416.2016.1141357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Few studies have investigated potential gender differences in the genetic and environmental influences on the prospective associations between parent-child conflict and later depression, a notable gap given substantial gender differences in rates of depression and suggestive evidence of differences in the etiology of depression among females and males. To fill this gap, we evaluated whether the prospective relationship between parent-child conflict and major depressive disorder symptoms varied as a function of parent-child gender composition. A combined twin and adoption sample was used (53% female; 85% European ancestry), containing 1,627 adolescent sibling pairs (789 monozygotic twin pairs, 594 dizygotic/full-biological pairs, 244 genetically unrelated pairs) with assessments at two time points in adolescence (approximate ages 15 and 18). Prospective associations between parent-child conflict and subsequent adolescent depression were explained predominately through common genetic influences for mother-daughter and mother-son pairs but less so for father-daughter and father-son pairs. Results support the notion that processes of gene-environment correlation involved in the prospective associations between parent-child conflict, and later adolescent depression appear to be less relevant to father-child relationships in comparison to mother-child relationships. Notably, results did not show that parent-child conflict was more relevant to the etiology of major depressive disorder (MDD) for girls than boys; gender differences in depression do not appear to be due to differences in the associations between parent-child conflict and child depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana R Samek
- a Department of Human Development and Family Studies , Auburn University
| | - Sylia Wilson
- b Department of Psychology , University of Minnesota
| | - Matt McGue
- b Department of Psychology , University of Minnesota
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20
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Chen J, Yu J, Zhang J. Investigating Unique Environmental Influences of Parenting Practices on Youth Anxiety. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT 2016. [DOI: 10.1177/0165025415611261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The associations between parenting practices and adolescent anxiety symptoms were examined in both individual and monozygotic (MZ) twin differences levels. Participants were 804 pairs of Chinese MZ adolescent twins aged 10–18 years ( M = 13.57, SD = 2.67, 52% females). Twins’ anxiety symptoms were assessed by self- and parent-reports. Twins also reported their perceived parenting practices. On the individual level, parental warmth-reasoning was negatively, whereas harshness-hostility was positively, associated with both self- and parent-reported youth anxiety. On the MZ-twin differences level, the magnitudes of the associations between parenting practices and youth anxiety were decreased. MZ-twin difference in parental warmth-reasoning remained significantly associated with self- and parent-reported youth anxiety; MZ-twin difference in parental harsh-hostility was only significantly associated with self-reported youth anxiety. This study indicated that parental warmth-reasoning and harshness-hostility may be unique environmental experiences that influence youth anxiety, and illustrated the necessity of controlling for gene-environment correlations when examining the true environmental effects of parenting on child behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Chen
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
| | - Jing Yu
- Department of Psychology, Univeristy of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA
| | - Jianxin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
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21
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Marceau K, Knopik VS, Neiderhiser JM, Lichtenstein P, Spotts EL, Ganiban JM, Reiss D. Adolescent age moderates genetic and environmental influences on parent-adolescent positivity and negativity: Implications for genotype-environment correlation. Dev Psychopathol 2016; 28:149-66. [PMID: 25924807 PMCID: PMC4627902 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579415000358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
We examined how genotype-environment correlation processes differ as a function of adolescent age. We tested whether adolescent age moderates genetic and environmental influences on positivity and negativity in mother-adolescent and father-adolescent relationships using parallel samples of twin parents from the Twin and Offspring Study in Sweden and twin/sibling adolescents from the Nonshared Environment in Adolescent Development Study. We inferred differences in the role of passive and nonpassive genotype-environment correlation based on biometric moderation findings. The findings indicated that nonpassive gene-environment correlation played a stronger role for positivity in mother- and father-adolescent relationships in families with older adolescents than in families with younger adolescents, and that passive gene-environment correlation played a stronger role for positivity in the mother-adolescent relationship in families with younger adolescents than in families with older adolescents. Implications of these findings for the timing and targeting of interventions on family relationships are discussed.
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22
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Reynolds CA, Gatz M, Christensen K, Christiansen L, Dahl Aslan AK, Kaprio J, Korhonen T, Kremen WS, Krueger R, McGue M, Neiderhiser JM, Pedersen NL. Gene-Environment Interplay in Physical, Psychological, and Cognitive Domains in Mid to Late Adulthood: Is APOE a Variability Gene? Behav Genet 2016; 46:4-19. [PMID: 26538244 PMCID: PMC4858319 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-015-9761-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2015] [Accepted: 10/14/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Despite emerging interest in gene-environment interaction (GxE) effects, there is a dearth of studies evaluating its potential relevance apart from specific hypothesized environments and biometrical variance trends. Using a monozygotic within-pair approach, we evaluated evidence of G×E for body mass index (BMI), depressive symptoms, and cognition (verbal, spatial, attention, working memory, perceptual speed) in twin studies from four countries. We also evaluated whether APOE is a 'variability gene' across these measures and whether it partly represents the 'G' in G×E effects. In all three domains, G×E effects were pervasive across country and gender, with small-to-moderate effects. Age-cohort trends were generally stable for BMI and depressive symptoms; however, they were variable-with both increasing and decreasing age-cohort trends-for different cognitive measures. Results also suggested that APOE may represent a 'variability gene' for depressive symptoms and spatial reasoning, but not for BMI or other cognitive measures. Hence, additional genes are salient beyond APOE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chandra A Reynolds
- Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, 900 University Ave., Riverside, CA, 92521, USA.
| | - Margaret Gatz
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institute, 17177, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kaare Christensen
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bio-demography, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, 5000, Odense C, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Genetics and Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Lene Christiansen
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bio-demography, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, 5000, Odense C, Denmark
| | - Anna K Dahl Aslan
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institute, 17177, Stockholm, Sweden
- Institute of Gerontology, School of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden
| | - Jaakko Kaprio
- Department of Public Health & Institute for Molecular Medicine FIMM, University of Helsinki, 00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tellervo Korhonen
- Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, 00014, Helsinki, Finland
- Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, 70211, Kuopio, Finland
| | - William S Kremen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Robert Krueger
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Matt McGue
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bio-demography, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, 5000, Odense C, Denmark
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Jenae M Neiderhiser
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Nancy L Pedersen
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institute, 17177, Stockholm, Sweden
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23
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Leve LD, Harold GT, Ge X, Neiderhiser JM, Patterson G. Refining Intervention Targets in Family-Based Research: Lessons From Quantitative Behavioral Genetics. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2015; 5:516-26. [PMID: 21188273 DOI: 10.1177/1745691610383506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The results from a large body of family-based research studies indicate that modifying the environment (specifically dimensions of the social environment) through intervention is an effective mechanism for achieving positive outcomes. Parallel to this work is a growing body of evidence from genetically informed studies indicating that social environmental factors are central to enhancing or offsetting genetic influences. Increased precision in the understanding of the role of the social environment in offsetting genetic risk might provide new information about environmental mechanisms that could be applied to prevention science. However, at present, the multifaceted conceptualization of the environment in prevention science is mismatched with the more limited measurement of the environment in many genetically informed studies. In this article, we present a framework for translating quantitative behavioral genetic research to inform the development of preventive interventions. The measurement of environmental indices amenable to modification is discussed within the context of quantitative behavioral genetic studies. In particular, emphasis is placed on the necessary elements that lead to benefits in prevention science, specifically the development of evidence-based interventions. We provide an example from an ongoing prospective adoption study to illustrate the potential of this translational process to inform the selection of preventive intervention targets.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gordon T Harold
- Centre for Research on Children and Families and Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Xiaojia Ge
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
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24
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Mullineaux PY, DiLalla LF. Genetic Influences on Peer and Family Relationships Across Adolescent Development: Introduction to the Special Issue. J Youth Adolesc 2015; 44:1347-59. [PMID: 26006709 DOI: 10.1007/s10964-015-0306-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2015] [Accepted: 05/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Nearly all aspects of human development are influenced by genetic and environmental factors, which conjointly shape development through several gene-environment interplay mechanisms. More recently, researchers have begun to examine the influence of genetic factors on peer and family relationships across the pre-adolescent and adolescent time periods. This article introduces the special issue by providing a critical overview of behavior genetic methodology and existing research demonstrating gene-environment processes operating on the link between peer and family relationships and adolescent adjustment. The overview is followed by a summary of new research studies, which use genetically informed samples to examine how peer and family environment work together with genetic factors to influence behavioral outcomes across adolescence. The studies in this special issue provide further evidence of gene-environment interplay through innovative behavior genetic methodological approaches across international samples. Results from the quantitative models indicate environmental moderation of genetic risk for coercive adolescent-parent relationships and deviant peer affiliation. The molecular genetics studies provide support for a gene-environment interaction differential susceptibility model for dopamine regulation genes across positive and negative peer and family environments. Overall, the findings from the studies in this special issue demonstrate the importance of considering how genes and environments work in concert to shape developmental outcomes during adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Y Mullineaux
- Department of Psychology, MS-B1805, Hamline University, 1536 Hewitt Ave., St. Paul, MN, 55104, USA
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25
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Hajal N, Neiderhiser J, Moore G, Leve L, Shaw D, Harold G, Scaramella L, Ganiban J, Reiss D. Angry responses to infant challenges: parent, marital, and child genetic factors associated with harsh parenting. Child Dev 2015; 86:80-93. [PMID: 25641632 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
This study examined genetic and environmental influences on harsh parenting of adopted 9-month-olds (N = 503), with an emphasis on positive child-, parent-, and family-level characteristics. Evocative gene-environment correlation (rGE) was examined by testing the effect of both positive and negative indices of birth parent temperament on adoptive parents' harsh parenting. Adoptive fathers' harsh parenting was inversely related to birth mother positive temperament, indicating evocative rGE, as well as to marital quality. Adoptive parents' negative temperamental characteristics were related to hostile parenting for both fathers and mothers. Findings support the importance of enhancing positive family characteristics in addition to mitigating negative characteristics, as well as engaging multiple levels of the family system to prevent harsh parenting.
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Klahr AM, Klump K, Burt SA. A constructive replication of the association between the oxytocin receptor genotype and parenting. JOURNAL OF FAMILY PSYCHOLOGY : JFP : JOURNAL OF THE DIVISION OF FAMILY PSYCHOLOGY OF THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (DIVISION 43) 2015; 29:91-9. [PMID: 25419912 PMCID: PMC4461003 DOI: 10.1037/fam0000034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral genetic studies have robustly indicated that parenting behaviors are heritable-that is, individual differences in parenting are at least partially a function of genetic differences between persons. Few studies, however, have sought to identify the specific genetic variants that are associated with individual differences in parenting. Genes that influence the oxytocin system are of particular interest, given the growing body of evidence that points to the role of oxytocin for social behaviors, including parenting. The current study conducted examinations of associations between a variant in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR rs53576) and parental warmth, control, and negativity in a sample of 1,000 twin children and their parents (N = 500 families) from the Michigan State University Twin Registry to constructively replicate and extend prior work (Bakermans-Kranenburg & van IJzendoorn, 2008; Michalska et al., 2014). Analyses were conducted both at the level of the child and the level of the parent, allowing us to examine both child-driven (via evocative gene-environment correlation) and parent-driven genetic effects on parenting. Mothers' OXTR genotype predicted her warmth toward her children, even after controlling for child genotype. This association was not found for fathers. These findings add to the growing body of evidence linking oxytocin functioning to parental behavior and also highlight potential etiological differences in parenting across mothers and fathers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kelly Klump
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University
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Marceau K, Narusyte J, Lichtenstein P, Ganiban JM, Spotts EL, Reiss D, Neiderhiser JM. Parental knowledge is an environmental influence on adolescent externalizing. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2015; 56:130-7. [PMID: 24975929 PMCID: PMC4280345 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is evidence both that parental monitoring is an environmental influence serving to diminish adolescent externalizing problems and that this association may be driven by adolescents' characteristics via genetic and/or environmental mechanisms, such that adolescents with fewer problems tell their parents more, and therefore appear to be better monitored. Without information on how parents' and children's genes and environments influence correlated parent and child behaviors, it is impossible to clarify the mechanisms underlying this association. METHOD The present study used the Extended Children of Twins model to distinguish types of gene-environment correlation and direct environmental effects underlying associations between parental knowledge and adolescent (age 11-22 years) externalizing behavior with a Swedish sample of 909 twin parents and their adolescent offspring and a US-based sample of 405 White adolescent siblings and their parents. RESULTS Results suggest that more parental knowledge is associated with less adolescent externalizing via a direct environmental influence independent of any genetic influences. There was no evidence of a child-driven explanation of the association between parental knowledge and adolescent externalizing problems. CONCLUSIONS In this sample of adolescents, parental knowledge exerted an environmental influence on adolescent externalizing after accounting for genetic influences of parents and adolescents. Because the association between parenting and child development originates in the parent, treatment for adolescent externalizing must not only include parents but should also focus on altering their parental style. Thus, findings suggest that teaching parents better knowledge-related monitoring strategies is likely to help reduce externalizing problems in adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine Marceau
- Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; Division of Behavior Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Rhode Island Hospital
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Nikolas MA, Klump KL, Burt SA. Parental involvement moderates etiological influences on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder behaviors in child twins. Child Dev 2014; 86:224-40. [PMID: 25263271 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Although few would now contest the presence of Gene × Environment (G × E) effects in the development of child psychopathology, it remains unclear how these effects manifest themselves. Alternative G × E models have been proposed (i.e., diathesis-stress, differential susceptibility, bioecological), each of which has notably different implications for etiology. Child twin studies present a powerful tool for discriminating between these models. The current study examined whether and how parental involvement moderated etiological influences on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) within 500 twin pairs aged 6-11 years. Results indicated moderation of genetic and nonshared environmental contributions to ADHD by parental involvement, and moreover, suggested both differential susceptibility and bioecological models of G × E. Results highlight the utility of child twin samples in testing different manifestations of G × E effects.
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Child-evoked maternal negativity from 9 to 27 months: Evidence of gene-environment correlation and its moderation by marital distress. Dev Psychopathol 2014; 27:1251-65. [PMID: 25216383 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579414000868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Past research has documented pervasive genetic influences on emotional and behavioral disturbance across the life span and on liability to adult psychiatric disorder. Increasingly, interest is turning to mechanisms of gene-environment interplay in attempting to understand the earliest manifestations of genetic risk. We report findings from a prospective adoption study, which aimed to test the role of evocative gene-environment correlation in early development. Included in the study were 561 infants adopted at birth and studied between 9 and 27 months, along with their adoptive parents and birth mothers. Birth mother psychiatric diagnoses and symptoms scales were used as indicators of genetic influence, and multiple self-report measures were used to index adoptive mother parental negativity. We hypothesized that birth mother psychopathology would be associated with greater adoptive parent negativity and that such evocative effects would be amplified under conditions of high adoptive family adversity. The findings suggested that genetic factors associated with birth mother externalizing psychopathology may evoke negative reactions in adoptive mothers in the first year of life, but only when the adoptive family environment is characterized by marital problems. Maternal negativity mediated the effects of genetic risk on child adjustment at 27 months. The results underscore the importance of genetically influenced evocative processes in early development.
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Bornovalova MA, Cummings JR, Hunt E, Blazei R, Malone S, Iacono WG. Understanding the relative contributions of direct environmental effects and passive genotype-environment correlations in the association between familial risk factors and child disruptive behavior disorders. Psychol Med 2014; 44:831-844. [PMID: 23714724 PMCID: PMC3883935 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291713001086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous work reports an association between familial risk factors stemming from parental characteristics and offspring disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs). This association may reflect (a) the direct effects of familial environment and (b) a passive gene-environment correlation (r(GE)), wherein the parents provide both the genes and the environment. The current study examined the contributions of direct environmental influences and passive r(GE) by comparing the effects of familial risk factors on child DBDs in genetically related (biological) and non-related (adoptive) families. METHOD Participants were 402 adoptive and 204 biological families. Familial environment was defined as maternal and paternal maladaptive parenting and antisociality, marital conflict and divorce; offspring DBDs included attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder (CD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). Mixed-level regressions estimated the main effects of familial environment, adoption status and the familial environment by adoption status interaction term, which tested for the presence of passive r(GE). RESULTS There was a main effect of maternal and paternal maladaptive parenting and marital discord on child DBDs, indicating a direct environmental effect. There was no direct environmental effect of maternal or paternal antisociality, but maternal and paternal antisociality had stronger associations with child DBDs in biological families than adoptive families, indicating the presence of a passive r(GE). CONCLUSIONS Many familial risk factors affected children equally across genetically related and non-related families, providing evidence for direct environmental effects. The relationship of parental antisociality and offspring DBDs was best explained by a passive r(GE), where a general vulnerability toward externalizing psychopathology is passed down by the parents to the children.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Ryan Blazei
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota
| | - Steve Malone
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota
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Moore GA, Neiderhiser JM. Behavioral Genetic Approaches and Family Theory. JOURNAL OF FAMILY THEORY & REVIEW 2014; 6:18-30. [PMID: 24678347 PMCID: PMC3963160 DOI: 10.1111/jftr.12028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Family theories have been founded on research that cannot discriminate genetic and environmental influences and, consequently, most theories do not have highly developed models of gene-environment interplay in families. Behavioral genetic approaches, which can identify gene-environment interplay, have typically not been driven by family theories and have lacked adequate measurement of family processes. In this article, the authors describe behavioral genetic mechanisms and methods using representative examples of research on family processes, highlighting the advantages of an integrated approach. New directions in research and theory driven by an integrated approach are discussed.
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Marceau K, Horwitz BN, Narusyte J, Ganiban JM, Spotts EL, Reiss D, Neiderhiser JM. Gene-environment correlation underlying the association between parental negativity and adolescent externalizing problems. Child Dev 2013; 84:2031-46. [PMID: 23573986 PMCID: PMC3928634 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Studies of adolescent or parent-based twins suggest that gene-environment correlation (rGE) is an important mechanism underlying parent-adolescent relationships. However, information on how parents' and children's genes and environments influence correlated parent and child behaviors is needed to distinguish types of rGE. The present study used the novel Extended Children of Twins model to distinguish types of rGE underlying associations between negative parenting and adolescent (age 11-22 years) externalizing problems with a Swedish sample of 909 twin parents and their adolescent offspring and a U.S.-based sample of 405 adolescent siblings and their parents. Results suggest that evocative rGE, not passive rGE or direct environmental effects of parenting on adolescent externalizing, explains associations between maternal and paternal negativity and adolescent externalizing problems.
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Harold GT, Leve LD, Barrett D, Elam K, Neiderhiser JM, Natsuaki MN, Shaw DS, Reiss D, Thapar A. Biological and rearing mother influences on child ADHD symptoms: revisiting the developmental interface between nature and nurture. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2013; 54:1038-46. [PMID: 24007415 PMCID: PMC3767192 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/02/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Families of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) report more negative family relationships than families of children without ADHD. Questions remain as to the role of genetic factors underlying associations between family relationships and children's ADHD symptoms, and the role of children's ADHD symptoms as an evocative influence on the quality of relationships experienced within such families. Utilizing the attributes of two genetically sensitive research designs, the present study examined associations between biologically related and nonbiologically related maternal ADHD symptoms, parenting practices, child impulsivity/activation, and child ADHD symptoms. The combined attributes of the study designs permit assessment of associations while controlling for passive genotype-environment correlation and directly examining evocative genotype-environment correlation (rGE); two relatively under examined confounds of past research in this area. METHODS A cross-sectional adoption-at-conception design (Cardiff IVF Study; C-IVF) and a longitudinal adoption-at-birth design (Early Growth and Development Study; EGDS) were used. The C-IVF sample included 160 mothers and children (age 5-8 years). The EGDS sample included 320 linked sets of adopted children (age 6 years), adoptive-, and biologically related mothers. Questionnaires were used to assess maternal ADHD symptoms, parenting practices, child impulsivity/activation, and child ADHD symptoms. A cross-rater approach was used across measures of maternal behavior (mother reports) and child ADHD symptoms (father reports). RESULTS Significant associations were revealed between rearing mother ADHD symptoms, hostile parenting behavior, and child ADHD symptoms in both samples. Because both samples consisted of genetically unrelated mothers and children, passive rGE was removed as a possible explanatory factor underlying these associations. Further, path analysis revealed evidence for evocative rGE processes in the longitudinal adoption-at-birth study (EGDS) from biologically related maternal ADHD symptoms to biologically unrelated maternal hostile parenting through early disrupted child behavior (impulsivity/activation), with maternal hostile parenting and disrupted child behavior associated with later child ADHD symptoms, controlling for concurrent adoptive mother ADHD symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Results highlight the importance of genetically influenced child ADHD-related temperamental attributes on genetically unrelated maternal hostility that in turn links to later child ADHD symptoms. Implications for intervention programs focusing on early family processes and the precursors of child ADHD symptoms are discussed.
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Avinun R, Knafo A. Parenting as a reaction evoked by children's genotype: a meta-analysis of children-as-twins studies. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW 2013; 18:87-102. [PMID: 23940232 DOI: 10.1177/1088868313498308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Parenting has been extensively studied but mostly as a causal factor influencing child outcomes. The aim of the current article is to examine the child's side of the relationship by meta-analyzing studies which used quantitative genetic methods that provide leverage in understanding causality. A meta-analysis of 32 children-as-twins studies of parenting revealed a heritability estimate of 23%, thus indicating that genetically influenced behaviors of the child affect and shape parental behavior. The shared- and nonshared-environmental estimates, which amounted to 43% and 34%, respectively, indicate not only substantial consistency in parental behavior but also differential treatment within the family. Assessment method, age, and parenting dimension were found to be significant moderators of these influences. Our findings stress the importance of accounting for genotype-environment correlations in child-development studies and call into question previous research that interpreted correlational results in unidirectional terms with parenting as the sole causal factor.
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Observed positive parenting behaviors and youth genotype: evidence for gene-environment correlations and moderation by parent personality traits. Dev Psychopathol 2013; 25:175-91. [PMID: 23398761 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579412000983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Gene-environment correlations (rGE) have been demonstrated in behavioral genetic studies, but rGE have proven elusive in molecular genetic research. Significant gene-environment correlations may be difficult to detect because potential moderators could reduce correlations between measured genetic variants and the environment. Molecular genetic studies investigating moderated rGE are lacking. This study examined associations between child catechol-O-methyltransferase genotype and aspects of positive parenting (responsiveness and warmth), and whether these associations were moderated by parental personality traits (neuroticism and extraversion) among a general community sample of third, sixth, and ninth graders (N = 263) and their parents. Results showed that parent personality traits moderated the rGE association between youths' genotype and coded observations of positive parenting. Parents with low levels of neuroticism and high levels of extraversion exhibited greater sensitive responsiveness and warmth, respectively, to youth with the valine/valine genotype. Moreover, youth with this genotype exhibited lower levels of observed anger. There was no association between the catechol-O-methyltransferase genotype and parenting behaviors for parents high on neuroticism and low on extraversion. Findings highlight the importance of considering moderating variables that may influence child genetic effects on the rearing environment. Implications for developmental models of maladaptive and adaptive child outcomes, and interventions for psychopathology, are discussed within a developmental psychopathology framework.
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Ulbricht JA, Ganiban JM, Button TMM, Feinberg M, Reiss D, Neiderhiser JM. Marital adjustment as a moderator for genetic and environmental influences on parenting. JOURNAL OF FAMILY PSYCHOLOGY : JFP : JOURNAL OF THE DIVISION OF FAMILY PSYCHOLOGY OF THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (DIVISION 43) 2013; 27:42-52. [PMID: 23421831 PMCID: PMC8454896 DOI: 10.1037/a0031481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Family systems theory proposes that the parent-child relationship is embedded within the broader system of the family, and that other family subsystems can influence the dynamics and quality of the parent-child relationship. The current paper examines marital adjustment as a context for the parent-child relationship during adolescence. Specifically, the extent to which marital adjustment moderates child-based genetic and environmental effects on the parent-child relationship was assessed. Data for this study were from the initial wave of the Nonshared Environment in Adolescent Development (NEAD) study, and included 720 families with same-sex sibling pairs, ages 10-18 years. A range of sibling and family types was sampled, with 93 monozygotic twin pairs, 99 dizygotic twin pairs, and 95 sibling pairs from nondivorced families, and 182 sibling, 109 half-sibling, and 130 unrelated sibling pairs from stepfamilies. Composite measures of marriage (based on parent reports) and parenting (based child and parent reports and observation ratings) were examined. Results indicate that as marital adjustment declines, evocative child effects on parenting increase, while the role of shared family experiences declines. However, the specific impact of marital adjustment on child-based genetic and child-specific nonshared environmental contributions to parenting differed for mothers and fathers. This study identifies a previously unexplored mechanism through which family subsystems influence each other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A Ulbricht
- Department of Psychology, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, USA.
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Klahr AM, Thomas KM, Hopwood CJ, Klump KL, Burt SA. Evocative gene-environment correlation in the mother-child relationship: a twin study of interpersonal processes. Dev Psychopathol 2013; 25:105-18. [PMID: 23398756 PMCID: PMC4052725 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579412000934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The behavior genetic literature suggests that genetically influenced characteristics of the child elicit specific behaviors from the parent. However, little is known about the processes by which genetically influenced child characteristics evoke parental responses. Interpersonal theory provides a useful framework for identifying reciprocal behavioral processes between children and mothers. The theory posits that, at any given moment, interpersonal behavior varies along the orthogonal dimensions of warmth and control and that the interpersonal behavior of one individual tends to elicit corresponding or contrasting behavior from the other (i.e., warmth elicits warmth, whereas control elicits submission). The current study thus examined these dimensions of interpersonal behavior as they relate to the parent-child relationship in 546 twin families. A computer joystick was used to rate videos of mother-child interactions in real time, yielding information on mother and child levels of warmth and control throughout the interaction. Analyses indicated that maternal control, but not maternal warmth, was influenced by evocative gene-environment correlational processes, such that genetic influences on maternal control and child control were largely overlapping. Moreover, these common genetic influences were present both cross-sectionally and over the course of the interaction. Such findings not only confirm the presence of evocative gene-environment correlational processes in the mother-child relationship but also illuminate at least one of the specific interpersonal behaviors that underlie this evocative process.
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Neiderhiser JM, Marceau K, Reiss D. Four factors for the initiation of substance use by young adulthood: a 10-year follow-up twin and sibling study of marital conflict, monitoring, siblings, and peers. Dev Psychopathol 2013; 25:133-49. [PMID: 23398758 PMCID: PMC3938097 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579412000958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
This study examined genetic and environmental influences on associations among marital conflict about the child, parental monitoring, sibling relationship negativity, and peer delinquency during adolescence and initiation of illegal drug use by young adulthood. The sample comprised data collected longitudinally from same-sex sibling pairs and parents when the siblings were 10-18 years old (M = 14.5 and 12.9 years for Child 1 and Child 2, respectively) and 20-35 years old (M = 26.8 and 25.5 years for Child 1 and Child 2, respectively). Findings indicate four factors that explain the initiation of illegal drug use: two shaped by genetic influences and two shaped by environments shared by siblings. The two genetically shaped factors probably have distinct mechanisms: one a child-initiated coercive process in the family and the other parent and peer processes shaped by the child's disclosure. The environmentally influenced factors seem distinctively shaped by poor parental monitoring of both sibs and the effects of siblings on each other's deviancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenae M Neiderhiser
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, 140 Moore Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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Leve LD, Neiderhiser JM, Shaw DS, Ganiban J, Natsuaki MN, Reiss D. The Early Growth and Development Study: a prospective adoption study from birth through middle childhood. Twin Res Hum Genet 2013; 16:412-23. [PMID: 23218244 PMCID: PMC3572752 DOI: 10.1017/thg.2012.126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The Early Growth and Development Study is a prospective adoption study of birth parents, adoptive parents, and adopted children recruited in two cohorts (N = 561 triads). The primary study aims are to examine how family, peer, and contextual processes affect children's adjustment, and to examine their interplay (mediation, moderation) with genetic influences. Participants were recruited through adoption agencies located throughout the United States following the birth of a child. Assessments are ongoing, in 9-month intervals until the child reaches 3 years of age and in 1-year intervals thereafter through age 9. Data collection includes the following primary constructs: child temperament, social behavior, school performance, mental health, and health; birth and adoptive parent personality characteristics, mental health, competence, stress, health, context, substance use, parenting, and marital relations; and pregnancy use of drugs and maternal stress during pregnancy. DNA and salivary cortisol samples have also been collected. Analyses have indicated evidence for genotype-environment interactions during early childhood. Study procedures, sample representativeness (including tests of potential confounds in the adoption design), and an overview of findings to date are summarized, and future plans are described.
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Walum H, Lichtenstein P, Neiderhiser JM, Reiss D, Ganiban JM, Spotts EL, Pedersen NL, Anckarsäter H, Larsson H, Westberg L. Variation in the oxytocin receptor gene is associated with pair-bonding and social behavior. Biol Psychiatry 2012; 71:419-26. [PMID: 22015110 PMCID: PMC3266986 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 152] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2011] [Revised: 08/08/2011] [Accepted: 09/05/2011] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In specific vole and primate species the neuropeptide oxytocin plays a central role in the regulation of pair-bonding behavior. Here we investigate the extent to which genetic variants in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) are associated with pair-bonding and related social behaviors in humans. METHODS We first genotyped twelve single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the TOSS (Twin and Offspring Study in Sweden) (n = 2309) and the TCHAD (Swedish Twin Study of Child and Adolescent Development) (n = 1240), comprising measures of self-reported pair-bonding behavior. In the TOSS sample we further investigated one of the SNPs for measures of marital status and quality. Moreover, in the TCHAD sample we explored the longitudinal relationship between precursors of pair-bonding during childhood and subsequent behavior in romantic relationships. Finally, in the TCHAD study and in the Child and Adolescent Twin Study of Sweden (CATSS) (n = 1771), the association between the same SNP and childhood behaviors was investigated. RESULTS One SNP (rs7632287) in OXTR was associated with traits reflecting pair-bonding in women in the TOSS and TCHAD samples. In girls the rs7632287 SNP was further associated with childhood social problems, which longitudinally predicted pair-bonding behavior in the TCHAD sample. This association was replicated in the CATSS sample in which an association between the same SNP and social interaction deficit symptoms from the autism spectrum was detected. CONCLUSION These results suggest an association between variation in OXTR and human pair-bonding and other social behaviors, possibly indicating that the well-described influence of oxytocin on affiliative behavior in voles could also be of importance for humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hasse Walum
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Paul Lichtenstein
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Box 281, S-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jenae M. Neiderhiser
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, 222 Moore Building, University Park, PA16802, USA
| | - David Reiss
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University, 230 South Frontage Rd., New Haven, CT06520, USA
| | - Jody M. Ganiban
- Department of Psychology, The George Washington University, Building GG 2125 G. St NW, Washington DC 20052, USA
| | - Erica L. Spotts
- Division of Behavioral & Social Research, National Institute on Aging, 7201 Wisconsin Avenue, #533 Bethesda, MD 20892-9205, USA
| | - Nancy L. Pedersen
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Box 281, S-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Henrik Anckarsäter
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Lillhagsparken 3, S-422 50 Hisings Backa, Sweden
| | - Henrik Larsson
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Box 281, S-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lars Westberg
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Pharmacology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Box 431, S-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
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Prinzie P, Deković M, van den Akker AL, de Haan AD, Stoltz SE, Jolijn Hendriks A. Fathers’ personality and its interaction with children’s personality as predictors of perceived parenting behavior six years later. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2011.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Schermerhorn AC, D'Onofrio BM, Turkheimer E, Ganiban JM, Spotts EL, Lichtenstein P, Reiss D, Neiderhiser JM. A genetically informed study of associations between family functioning and child psychosocial adjustment. Dev Psychol 2011; 47:707-25. [PMID: 21142367 DOI: 10.1037/a0021362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Research has documented associations between family functioning and offspring psychosocial adjustment, but questions remain regarding whether these associations are partly due to confounding genetic factors and other environmental factors. The current study used a genetically informed approach, the Children of Twins design, to explore the associations between family functioning (family conflict, marital quality, and agreement about parenting) and offspring psychopathology. Participants were 867 twin pairs (388 monozygotic; 479 dizygotic) from the Twin and Offspring Study in Sweden, their spouses, and children (51.7% female; M = 15.75 years). The results suggested associations between exposure to family conflict (assessed by the mother, father, and child) and child adjustment were independent of genetic factors and other environmental factors. However, when family conflict was assessed using only children's reports, the results indicated that genetic factors also influenced these associations. In addition, the analyses indicated that exposure to low marital quality and agreement about parenting was associated with children's internalizing and externalizing problems and that genetic factors also contributed to the associations of marital quality and agreement about parenting with offspring externalizing problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice C Schermerhorn
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
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Narusyte J, Neiderhiser JM, Andershed AK, D'Onofrio BM, Reiss D, Spotts E, Ganiban J, Lichtenstein P. Parental criticism and externalizing behavior problems in adolescents: the role of environment and genotype-environment correlation. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY 2011; 120:365-76. [PMID: 21280930 DOI: 10.1037/a0021815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Genetic factors are important for the association between parental negativity and child problem behavior, but it is not clear whether this is due to passive or evocative genotype-environment correlation (rGE). In this study, we applied the extended children-of-twins model to directly examine the presence of passive and evocative rGE as well as direct environmental effects in the association between parental criticism and adolescent externalizing problem behavior. The cross-sectional data come from the Twin and Offspring Study in Sweden (N = 909 pairs of adult twins) and from the Twin Study of Child and Adolescent Development (N = 915 pairs of twin children). The results revealed that maternal criticism was primarily due to evocative rGE emanating from their adolescent's externalizing behavior. On the other hand, fathers' critical remarks tended to affect adolescent problem behavior in a direct environmental way. This suggests that previously reported differences in caretaking between mothers and fathers also are reflected in differences in why parenting is associated with externalizing behavior in offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jurgita Narusyte
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
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Lipscomb ST, Leve LD, Harold GT, Neiderhiser JM, Shaw DS, Ge X, Reiss D. Trajectories of parenting and child negative emotionality during infancy and toddlerhood: a longitudinal analysis. Child Dev 2011; 82:1661-75. [PMID: 21883160 PMCID: PMC3177150 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01639.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The current longitudinal study examined trajectories of child negative emotionality, parenting efficacy, and overreactive parenting among 382 adoptive families during infancy and toddlerhood. Data were collected from adoptive parents when the children were 9-, 18-, and 27-month-old. Latent growth curve modeling indicated age-related increases in child negative emotionality and overreactive parenting for adoptive fathers and adoptive mothers (AM), and decreases in parent efficacy among AM. Increases in child negative emotionality were also associated with increases in parent overreactivity and decreases in maternal efficacy. Mothers' and fathers' developmental patterns were linked within but not across parenting domains. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
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Horwitz BN, Neiderhiser JM. Gene - Environment Interplay, Family Relationships, and Child Adjustment. JOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY 2011; 73:804-816. [PMID: 22162877 PMCID: PMC3233191 DOI: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2011.00846.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
This paper reviews behavioral genetic research from the past decade that has moved beyond simply studying the independent influences of genes and environments. The studies considered in this review have instead focused on understanding gene - environment interplay, including genotype - environment correlation ( rGE) and genotype × environment interaction (G × E). Studies have suggested that rGE is an important pathway through which family relationships are associated with child adjustment. Also important are direct causal influences of family relationships on child adjustment, independent of genetic confounds. Other studies have indicated that genetic and environmental influences on child adjustment are moderated by different levels of family relationships in G × E interactions. Genetically informed studies that have examined family relations have been critical to advancing our understanding of gene - environment interplay.
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Klahr AM, Rueter MA, McGue M, Iacono WG, Burt SA. The relationship between parent-child conflict and adolescent antisocial behavior: confirming shared environmental mediation. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL CHILD PSYCHOLOGY 2011; 39:683-94. [PMID: 21484334 PMCID: PMC3102125 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-011-9505-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Prior studies have indicated that the relationship between parent-child conflict and adolescent antisocial behavior is at least partially shared environmental in origin. However, all available research on this topic (to our knowledge) relies exclusively on parent and/or adolescent informant-reports, both of which are subject to various forms of rater bias. As the presence of significant shared environmental effects has often been attributed to rater bias in the past (Baker et al. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 16:219-235, 2007; Bartels et al. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 42:1351-1359, 2003, Twin Research 7:162-175, 2004; Hewitt et al. Behavior Genetics 22:293-317, 1992), it would be important to confirm that findings of shared environmental mediation persist when even examining (presumably more objective) observer-ratings of these constructs. The current study thus examined the origins of the relationship between parent-child conflict and adolescent acting-out behavior, as measured using both observer-ratings and various informant-reports. Participants included 1,199 adopted and non-adopted adolescents in 610 families from the Sibling Interaction and Behavior Study (SIBS). Results indicated that parent-child conflict consistently predicts acting-out behavior in adopted adolescents, and moreover, that this association is equivalent to that in biologically-related adolescents. Most importantly, these findings did not vary across parent- and adolescent-reported or observer-ratings of parent-child conflict and acting-out behavior. Such findings argue strongly against rater bias as a primary explanation of shared environmental mediation of the association between parent-child conflict and adolescent antisocial behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashlea M Klahr
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
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Out D, Pieper S, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, Zeskind PS, van Ijzendoorn MH. Intended sensitive and harsh caregiving responses to infant crying: the role of cry pitch and perceived urgency in an adult twin sample. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2010; 34:863-873. [PMID: 20889206 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2010.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2009] [Revised: 05/19/2010] [Accepted: 05/31/2010] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To examine the underlying mechanisms of adults' intended caregiving responses to cry sounds in a behavioral genetic design and to investigate the role of cry pitch and perceived urgency in sensitive and harsh caregiving responses. METHODS The sample consisted of 184 adult twin pairs (18-69 years), including males and females, parents and nonparents. In an experimental design we presented cry sounds varying in pitch and measured adults' perception and their intended caregiving responses. Cry stimuli were based on a 10-second cry sample of a 2-day-old infant with a fundamental frequency averaging 500 Hz. Two additional cry sounds were created by digitally increasing the fundamental frequency to 700 and 900 Hz. RESULTS Individual differences in the perceived urgency of infant crying and intended sensitive caregiving responses were explained by genetic factors (38% and 39%, respectively), while the variance in harsh caregiving responses was due to shared (31%) and unique (69%) environmental influences. Adults were more likely to indicate sensitive caregiving responses to higher-pitched cry sounds and when they perceived the cries as more urgent, while high-pitched cry sounds were also directly associated with harsh caregiving responses. CONCLUSIONS The influence of genetic factors on intended caregiving responses to infant crying is substantial for normal variations in sensitive caregiving, but absent for harsh caregiving responses. The findings suggest that the perception of infant crying as urgent paves the way for more immediate and affectionate caregiving responses, while an extreme increase in cry pitch may present a direct risk factor for more irritated, negative and even harsh parenting. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS Infants who display abnormal cry acoustics such as extreme increases in pitch may be at risk for harsh parenting. Interventions should promote parental sensitive response to distress vocalizations to prevent harsh parenting in case of at-risk infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorothée Out
- Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden University, The Netherlands
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Prinzie P, van der Sluis CM, de Haan AD, Deković M. The mediational role of parenting on the longitudinal relation between child personality and externalizing behavior. J Pers 2010; 78:1301-23. [PMID: 20545815 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2010.00651.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Building on prior cross-sectional work, this longitudinal study evaluated the proposition that maternal and paternal overreactive and authoritative parenting mediates the effect of child personality characteristics on externalizing behavior. Data from the Flemish Study on Parenting, Personality, and Problem Behavior were used in a moderated mediation analysis (N=434). Teachers rated children's Big Five characteristics, fathers and mothers rated their parenting, and 3 years later, children rated their externalizing behavior. Mediational analysis revealed both direct and indirect effects. Higher levels of Extraversion and lower levels of Benevolence were related directly to higher levels of child externalizing behavior. Higher levels of paternal authoritative parenting and lower levels of maternal overreactivity were related to lower scores on externalizing behavior. In addition, the relation between Benevolence, Emotional Stability, and externalizing behavior was partially mediated by parental overreactivity. Conscientiousness had an indirect effect on externalizing behavior through paternal authoritative parenting. Relations were not moderated by child gender. This study is of theoretical interest because the results demonstrate that parenting is a mediating mechanism that accounts for associations between personality and externalizing behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Prinzie
- Utrecht University, 3508TC Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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Abstract
Studying the genetics of mood disorders has never been more exciting. We have moved rapidly from establishing the genetic basis of depression to asking questions about how genes are expressed. This has been made possible by the capacity to collect and sequence DNA for large samples cheaply. But "multidisciplinary" approaches investigating interrelationships between risk factors have also been increasingly adopted, encouraging collaborations between those studying genes and those studying the brain, cognition, and/or the social environment. In this review, we first describe findings from quantitative and molecular studies investigating the genetic basis of depression. Second, we present overviews of three hot topics of genetic research: gene-environment interplay, which considers how genetic factors shape exposure and responses toward the social environment; endophenotypic research, which identifies neurophysiological and psychological mediators of genetic risk; and epigenetics, which explain how early environments can foster changes in gene expression, altering subsequent emotional development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Y F Lau
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, 0X1 4AU, United Kingdom.
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