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. 2023 Dec;22(6):e12874.
doi: 10.1111/gbb.12874. Epub 2023 Nov 29.

The polygenic and reactive nature of observed parenting

Jana Runze  1 , Marian J Bakermans-Kranenburg  2   3   4 , Charlotte A M Cecil  5   6 , Marinus H van IJzendoorn  7   8 , Irene Pappa  5   9
Affiliations

The polygenic and reactive nature of observed parenting

Jana Runze et al. Genes Brain Behav. 2023 Dec.

Abstract

In Wertz et al. (2019), parents' polygenic scores of educational attainment (PGS-EA) predicted parental sensitive responses to the child's needs for support, as observed in a dyadic task (i.e., observed sensitivity). We aimed to replicate and expand these findings by combining longitudinal data, child genotype data and several polygenic scores in the Generation R Study. Mother-child dyads participated in two developmental periods, toddlerhood (14 months old; n = 648) and early childhood (3-4 years old, n = 613). Higher maternal PGS-EA scores predicted higher observed sensitivity in toddlerhood (b = 0.12, 95% CI 0.03, 0.20) and early childhood (b = 0.16, 95% CI 0.08, 0.24). Child PGS-EA was significantly associated with maternal sensitivity in early childhood (b = 0.11, 95% CI 0.02, 0.21), and the effect of maternal PGS-EA was no longer significant when correcting for child PGS-EA. A latent factor of PGSs based on educational attainment, intelligence (IQ) and income showed similar results. These polygenic scores might be associated with maternal cognitive and behavioral skills that help shape parenting. Maternal PGSs predicted observed sensitivity over and above the maternal phenotypes, showing an additional role for PGSs in parenting research. In conclusion, we replicated the central finding of Wertz et al. (2019) that parental PGS-EA partially explains parental sensitivity. Our findings may be consistent with evocative gene-environment correlation (rGE), emphasizing the dynamic nature of parenting behavior across time, although further research using family trios is needed to adequately test this hypothesis.

Keywords: educational attainment; evocative gene-environment correlation; maternal sensitivity; parenting behavior; polygenic risk score (PGS).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
(A) Graphical representation of the replication model. This model tests the associations between the maternal polygenic score of educational attainment (PGS‐EA) and observed parenting in two developmental periods (toddlerhood and early childhood). (B) Graphical representation of the replication model controlling for child PGS‐EA. Single‐headed arrows represent regression coefficients and double‐headed arrows are correlation coefficients. Statistically significant estimates (p < 0.05) are shown with solid lines.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Graphical representation of the EDINQ model, combining maternal PGS‐EA, PGS‐IQ and PGS‐income in a latent factor. Observed variables are in rectangles and the latent variable is in a circle. Single‐headed arrows represent regression coefficients. Statistically significant estimates (p < 0.05) are shown in solid lines.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Graphical representation of the EDINQ model controlling for child PGSs, estimated in a similar way as for mothers. Observed variables are in rectangles and the latent variable is in a circle. Single‐headed arrows represent regression coefficients. Statistically significant estimates (p < 0.05) are shown in solid lines.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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