title: Genetic moderation of early child-care effects on social functioning across childhood: a developmental analysis.
abstract: Data from 508 Caucasian children in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development shows that the DRD4 (but not 5-HTTLPR) polymorphism moderates the effect of child-care quality (but not quantity or type) on caregiver-reported externalizing problems at 54 months and in kindergarten and teacher-reported social skills at kindergarten and first grade-but not thereafter. Only children carrying the 7-repeat allele proved susceptible to quality-of-care effects. The behavior-problem interactions proved more consistent with diathesis-stress than differential-susceptibility thinking, whereas the reverse was true of the social-skills' results. Finally, the discerned Gene × Environment interactions did not account for previously reported parallel ones involving difficult temperament in infancy.
authors: Human and Community Development, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA. jbelsky@ucdavis.edu
authors: Jay
authors: J
authors: Belsky
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Pluess
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000235:genetics*; D002654:Child Care / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D050638:Receptors, Dopamine D4 / Q000235:genetics*; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D012917:Social Adjustment; D013694:Temperament / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: C493599:DRD4 protein, human; C493230:SLC6A4 protein, human; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D050638:Receptors, Dopamine D4