title: Gene×Environment interactions in early externalizing behaviors: parental emotional support and socioeconomic context as moderators of genetic influences?
abstract: This study uses longitudinal population-based samples of young siblings to examine the effects of two hypothesized moderators of early externalizing behaviors: parental emotional support and family socioeconomic status. The first sample, a twin sample from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), was composed of approximately 600 twin pairs measured on externalizing at ages 4 and 5. Results indicated stronger genetic influences on externalizing at lower levels of parental emotional support but higher levels of socioeconomic status; only the latter interaction remained significant when the two moderators were simultaneously modeled. These moderation effects were not replicated in our analyses of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth-Child Supplement (CNLSY) data, which contained 1939 pairs of full and half siblings measured on externalizing at ages 4-5 and ages 6-7. Our results highlight the need for replication in quantitative behavior genetics research on externalizing behaviors. Potential causes for non-replication are discussed.
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, 108 E. Dean Keeton Street A8000, Austin, TX, 78712-0187, USA, akcheung@utexas.edu.
authors: Amanda K
authors: AK
authors: Cheung
authors: Kathryn Paige
authors: KP
authors: Harden
authors: Elliot M
authors: EM
authors: Tucker-Drob
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D059647:Gene-Environment Interaction; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009769:Object Attachment; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting; D010290:Parents; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors