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. 2015 Jul-Sep;1(3):1-13.
doi: 10.1177/2332858415599972. Epub 2015 Aug 19.

Polygenic Influence on Educational Attainment: New evidence from The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health

Benjamin W Domingue  1 , Daniel Belsky  2 , Dalton Conley  3 , Kathleen Mullan Harris  4 , Jason D Boardman  5
Affiliations

Polygenic Influence on Educational Attainment: New evidence from The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health

Benjamin W Domingue et al. AERA Open. 2015 Jul-Sep.

Abstract

Recent studies have begun to uncover the genetic architecture of educational attainment. We build on this work using genome-wide data from siblings in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). We measure the genetic predisposition of siblings to educational attainment using polygenic scores. We then test how polygenic scores are related to social environments and educational outcomes. In Add Health, genetic predisposition to educational attainment is patterned across the social environment. Participants with higher polygenic scores were more likely to grow up in socially advantaged families. Even so, the previously published genetic associations appear to be causal. Among pairs of siblings, the sibling with the higher polygenic score typically went on to complete more years of schooling as compared to their lower-scored co-sibling. We found subtle differences between sibling fixed effect estimates of the genetic effect versus those based on unrelated individuals.

Keywords: Add Health; Educational Attainment; Genetic Risk Score; Polygenic score.

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