Genetic Influences on Measures of Parental Negativity and Childhood Maltreatment: An Exploratory Study Testing for Gene × Environment Correlations

Flashcards covering key concepts from Beaver et al. (2012) on genetic influences in measures of parental negativity and childhood maltreatment, including rGE types, dopaminergic gene polymorphisms, methodology, and main findings.

What percentage of the variance in family environment measures is attributable to genetic factors, according to the abstract?

Approximately 25%.

Which three dopaminergic system genes were examined for associations with maternal negativity, paternal negativity, and childhood maltreatment?

DRD2 (Dopamine D2 receptor), DRD4 (Dopamine D4 receptor), and DAT1 (Dopamine transporter gene).

In which subgroup were associations between these dopaminergic genes and family environment measures found?

Caucasian males.

What three types of gene–environment correlations (rGEs) do behavioral geneticists describe?

Passive rGE, evocative rGE, and active rGE.

How does passive rGE explain a gene–environment association in criminogenic parenting?

Parents pass along both the environment and genes to offspring, creating a correlation between environment and genes.

What is evocative rGE?

Genetic factors influence personality traits that elicit responses from the environment, shaping the environment indirectly.

What is active rGE?

Genetic factors influence individuals to select or create environments that fit their genetic propensities.

What data source provided the genetic and environmental data for this study?

The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health).

How was the DRD2 genotype coded in this study?

Codominantly: 0 = 0 A-1 alleles, 1 = 1 A-1 allele, 2 = 2 A-1 alleles.

How were DRD4 alleles categorized for analysis?

DRD4 VNTR with

How was the DAT1 genotype coded?

Codominantly: 0 = 0 10R alleles, 1 = 1 10R allele, 2 = 2 10R alleles.

Which Wave data were used to form maternal negativity scales?

Wave 1 and Wave 2 maternal negativity scales (composite from maternal involvement, attachment, and disengagement).

Which parenting measures formed the paternal negativity factor?

Wave 1 and Wave 2 paternal attachment and paternal involvement scales, combined into a unitary factor.

How was childhood maltreatment assessed in Add Health?

Retrospective items in Wave 3 about neglect and abuse before sixth grade; four items; higher scores indicate more maltreatment.

Which gene showed significant effects on maternal negativity, paternal negativity, and childhood maltreatment?

DRD2 (Dopamine D2 receptor gene).

Which gene was a predictor of negative maternal parenting but not consistently for paternal parenting or maltreatment?

DAT1 (Dopamine transporter gene).

Which gene showed no consistent association with parenting measures in this study?

DRD4 (Dopamine D4 receptor gene).

What were the main limitations of the study acknowledged by the authors?

Only three dopaminergic genes studied; parenting measures based on adolescent self-report; Add Health DNA subsample not representative; inconsistent associations across measures; limited generalizability; need replication.

What sampling restriction did the authors apply to the main analyses?

Analyses restricted to Caucasian males; results for females and minorities were generally null.

What is the broader implication of finding genetic influences on family environments, according to the authors?

Supports biosocial criminology and the extended phenotype concept, highlighting gene–environment interplay in shaping environments.