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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
In Wertz et al. (2019), parents' polygenic scores of educational attainment (PGS-EA)
predicted parental sensitive responses to the child's needs for support, as observed
in a dyadic task (i.e., observed sensitivity). We aimed to replicate and expand these
findings by combining longitudinal data, child genotype data and several polygenic
scores in the Generation R Study. Mother–child dyads participated in two developmental
periods, toddlerhood (14 months old; n = 648) and early childhood (3–4 years
old, n = 613). Higher maternal PGS-EA scores predicted higher observed sensitivity
in toddlerhood (b = 0.12, 95% CI 0.03, 0.20) and early childhood (b = 0.16, 95% CI
0.08, 0.24). Child PGS-EA was significantly associated with maternal sensitivity in
early childhood (b = 0.11, 95% CI 0.02, 0.21), and the effect of maternal PGS-EA was
no longer significant when correcting for child PGS-EA. A latent factor of PGSs based
on educational attainment, intelligence (IQ) and income showed similar results. These
polygenic scores might be associated with maternal cognitive and behavioral skills
that help shape parenting. Maternal PGSs predicted observed sensitivity over and
above the maternal phenotypes, showing an additional role for PGSs in parenting
research. In conclusion, we replicated the central finding of Wertz et al. (2019) that
parental PGS-EA partially explains parental sensitivity. Our findings may be consistent
with evocative gene–environment correlation (rGE), emphasizing the dynamic
nature of parenting behavior across time, although further research using family trios
is needed to adequately test this hypothesis.
Description
Keywords
Educational attainment Evocative gene–environment correlation Paternal sensitivity Parenting behavior Polygenic risk score (PGS)
Citation
Runze, J., Bakermans, K. M. J., Cecil, C. A. M., van IJzendoorn, M. H., & Pappa, I. (2023). The polygenic and reactive nature of observed parenting. Genes, Brain & Behavior, 22(6), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1111/gbb.12874
Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd