Prominent scholars have theorized that psychosocial moderation of genetic influences (referred to as gene-environment interactions;GxE) represents a fundamental etiologic component in child conduct problems (CP;aggressive and rule-breaking behaviors). Even so, only a handful of empirical studies have examined these processes to date. Though these seminal studies have provided provocative support for GxE in CP, additional work is needed to more fully flesh out their role. For example, though there is strong evidence within the animal literature that normal-range parenting serves as a potent moderator of genetic influences on offspring outcomes, most GxE research to date has focused on extreme environmental pathogens such as child maltreatment. Thus, although they are likely to be important, we know very little about the role of non-abusive, but still dysfunctional, parent- child relationships in moderating genetic influences on child CP. The role of protective relationships in suppressing genetic influences for child CP has also been largely overlooked, despite its oft- discussed prevention implications. Finally, few studies have controlled for gene-environment correlations (rGE), or non-random exposure to particular environmental experiences, a fundamental confound in GxE research. For example, if negative interpersonal relationships stem in part from genes common to CP, then the potentiation of genetic influences at high levels of """"""""environmental"""""""" risk could be a reflection of rGE processes, rather than true GxE. The proposed research seeks to address these limitations, bringing together several unique elements to integrate the genetic and psychosocial mechanisms underlying child CP across multiple levels of analysis. The sample will consist of 500 community-based, same-sex twin pairs and their parent(s), a design that enables us to evaluate the moderating roles of both protective and risky parent-child relationships. Analyses will sequentially combine both quantitative and molecular genetic GxE approaches, as well as control for possible rGE, thereby overcoming most methodology-specific limitations and confounds. Our investigation thus combines state-of-the-art ideas and methods to examine GxE in CP, and accordingly, has the potential to significantly advance our understanding of the origins of child conduct problems. PROJECT NARRATIVE Prominent scholars have theorized that gene-environment interactions (GxE;psychosocial moderation of genetic influences) represent a fundamental component of the origin of child conduct problems (CP;aggressive and rule-breaking behaviors), though we know little about them as of yet. This proposal intends to comprehensively explore GxE in child CP, evaluating how risky and protective parent-child relationships may activate or suppress genetic influences on child CP. Such findings should ultimately provide information for more effective individually-tailored interventions aimed at the amelioration of child CP.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH081813-05
Application #
8277378
Study Section
Behavioral Genetics and Epidemiology Study Section (BGES)
Program Officer
Zehr, Julia L
Project Start
2008-07-01
Project End
2014-03-30
Budget Start
2012-07-01
Budget End
2014-03-30
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2012
Total Cost
$328,120
Indirect Cost
$105,370
Name
Michigan State University
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
193247145
City
East Lansing
State
MI
Country
United States
Zip Code
48824
Burt, S Alexandra; Slawinski, Brooke L; Klump, Kelly L (2018) Are there sex differences in the etiology of youth antisocial behavior? J Abnorm Psychol 127:66-78
Burt, S Alexandra; Pearson, Amber L; Rzotkiewicz, Amanda et al. (2018) It really does take a village: The role of neighbors in the etiology of nonaggressive rule-breaking behavior. Dev Psychopathol :1-13
Waller, Rebecca; Hyde, Luke W; Klump, Kelly L et al. (2018) Parenting Is an Environmental Predictor of Callous-Unemotional Traits and Aggression: A Monozygotic Twin Differences Study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 57:955-963
Jelenkovic, Aline; Yokoyama, Yoshie; Sund, Reijo et al. (2018) Associations between birth size and later height from infancy through adulthood: An individual based pooled analysis of 28 twin cohorts participating in the CODATwins project. Early Hum Dev 120:53-60
Clark, D Angus; Klump, Kelly L; Burt, S Alexandra (2018) Parent depressive symptomatology moderates the etiology of externalizing behavior in childhood: An examination of gene-environment interaction effects. Dev Psychol 54:1277-1289
Li, Ishien; Clark, D Angus; Klump, Kelly L et al. (2017) Parental involvement as an etiological moderator of middle childhood oppositional defiant disorder. J Fam Psychol 31:659-667
Jelenkovic, Aline; Yokoyama, Yoshie; Sund, Reijo et al. (2017) Association between birthweight and later body mass index: an individual-based pooled analysis of 27 twin cohorts participating in the CODATwins project. Int J Epidemiol 46:1488-1498
Wen, Yalu; Burt, Alexandra; Lu, Qing (2017) Risk Prediction Modeling on Family-Based Sequencing Data Using a Random Field Method. Genetics 207:63-73
Culbert, Kristen M; Burt, S Alexandra; Klump, Kelly L (2017) Expanding the developmental boundaries of etiologic effects: The role of adrenarche in genetic influences on disordered eating in males. J Abnorm Psychol 126:593-606
Silventoinen, Karri; Jelenkovic, Aline; Latvala, Antti et al. (2017) Education in Twins and Their Parents Across Birth Cohorts Over 100 years: An Individual-Level Pooled Analysis of 42-Twin Cohorts. Twin Res Hum Genet 20:395-405

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