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.

Figure 1

Child care quality by DRD4 interaction predicting teacher reported externalizing problems at 54 months. The shaded area represents the region of significance.

Figure 2

Child care quality by DRD4 interaction predicting teacher reported social skills at Kindergarten. The shaded area represents the region of significance.