The influence of DRD4 genotype and perinatal complications on preschoolers' negative emotionality

Bersted, Kyle; DiLalla, Lisabeth F.

doi:10.1016/j.appdev.2015.12.001

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…In contrast to predictions from DST or the diathesis-stress model, we found a positive association between parenting stress and child externalizing problems in the low p-factor group, but not in the high p-factor group. These findings are consistent with previous work examining candidate G×E, which showed that children with the low-risk genotype (e.g., DRD4 4-repeat homozygous variant) were more susceptible to both positive (e.g., social wellbeing) and negative environments (e.g., peer victimization, perinatal complications) compared to children with the high-risk genotype (e.g., DRD4 7-repeat allele) (Bersted & DiLalla, 2016;Kretschmer, Dijkstra, Ormel, Verhulst, & Veenstra, 2013). It is possible that genetic influences may only be seen at positive ends of environmental influences, considering that the CIs overlapped across both p-factor groups, except at low levels of parenting stress.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Using an adoption design to test genetically based differences in risk for child behavior problems in response to home environmental influences

et al. 2020

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Differential susceptibility theory (DST) posits that individuals differ in their developmental plasticity: some children are highly responsive to both environmental adversity and support, while others are less affected. According to this theory, “plasticity” genes that confer risk for psychopathology in adverse environments may promote superior functioning in supportive environments. We tested DST using a broad measure of child genetic liability (based on birth parent psychopathology), adoptive home environmental variables (e.g., marital warmth, parenting stress, and internalizing symptoms), and measures of child externalizing problems (n = 337) and social competence (n = 330) in 54-month-old adopted children from the Early Growth and Development Study. This adoption design is useful for examining DST because children are placed at birth or shortly thereafter with nongenetically related adoptive parents, naturally disentangling heritable and postnatal environmental effects. We conducted a series of multivariable regression analyses that included Gene × Environment interaction terms and found little evidence of DST; rather, interactions varied depending on the environmental factor of interest, in both significance and shape. Our mixed findings suggest further investigation of DST is warranted before tailoring screening and intervention recommendations to children based on their genetic liability or “sensitivity.”

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Using an adoption design to test genetically based differences in risk for child behavior problems in response to home environmental influences

et al. 2020

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“…NE includes items such as “The child is slow to adjust to changes in household rules,” “The child responds intensely to disapproval,” and “The child becomes angry with his/her playmates.” The scales comprising the NE score in the current sample show adequate internal reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.74). Validity of NE has been demonstrated at age 5 (Bersted and DiLalla, 2016); NE was significantly correlated with parent-reported externalizing and internalizing problem behaviors.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health Outcomes Associated With Internalizing Problems in Early Childhood and Adolescence

Jamnik

DiLalla

2019

Front. Psychol.

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Physical and mental health problems are becoming more common among the general population. Studies examining mental and physical health often indicate that mental illness early in life is associated with more detrimental health outcomes later. However, additional work is needed to better identity which psychological problems may contribute to poorer health outcomes. Given recent increases in childhood anxiety and depression specifically, it is beneficial to further investigate the relationship between internalizing problems, both early and later in life, and related health problems. Furthermore, little work has focused on studying internalizing problems in children as young as preschool-aged. Therefore, the current project used a longitudinal design to assess the effects of preschool and adolescent internalizing problems on health-related problems in adolescence. We analyzed data from 70 youth (47% male) who had been tested in our lab when they were 5 years old and then were administered questionnaires over a telephone interview when they were adolescents, between the ages of 12 and 20 years old. We used multi-informant measures, including parent-report at age 5 and youth-report at follow-up, 7 to 15 years later. Parents reported on children’s internalizing behavior problems and negative emotionality (NE). Youth reported on their own internalizing behavior problems as well as health problems, physical activity, and overeating behaviors. Path modeling was used to examine predictions of internalizing and health behaviors. At age 5, parent-reported NE and internalizing problems were related, in addition to 5-year-old internalizing predicting health problems and overeating at follow-up. At follow-up, youth-reported internalizing was positively related to health problems and negatively related to physical activity, suggesting some similarities and differences between parent and youth responses. Additionally, girls reported significantly higher rates of internalizing and health problems at follow-up. These results indicate a significant relationship between preschool-aged and adolescent internalizing problems and related health outcomes experienced in adolescence.

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“…Similarly, in a recent polygenic study of dopamine genotypes (Fischer et al., 2020), a polygenic susceptibility index of externalizing behaviors was created from an aggregate of several different candidate genes (which included the DRD4 genotype) and indicated that children with a lower polygenic susceptibility index (i.e., fewer dopamine “risk” genes) displayed more externalizing behaviors in favorable environments, whereas children with a higher polygenic index (i.e., more dopamine “risk” genes) exhibited greater externalizing in negative environmental conditions. Other studies provide support that the DRD4‐no7r genotype, rather than DRD4‐7r, may convey increased “susceptibility” in response to other contexts at differing developmental periods, including perinatal birth complications (Bersted & DiLalla, 2016) and adolescent peer experiences (victimization and social well‐being; Kretschmer et al., 2013). Our results indicated that DRD4‐7r was a “risk” factor for 5‐year‐old externalizing; however, by middle childhood, DRD4‐no7r appeared to act as a moderator for subsequent externalizing behavior, ostensibly because of lack of fit with the environment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of dopamine receptor D4, temperamental negativity, and household chaos on young twins’ externalizing behaviors

Jamnik

DiLalla

2023

Developmental Psychobiology

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Biological and genetic factors, as well as contextual influences, contribute to the etiology of externalizing behaviors in children and adolescents. The current project used a longitudinal design to examine how individual vulnerability for externalizing behavior is influenced by the interplay among biological/genetic and environmental factors, and how this occurs across development. We investigated the influence of dopamine receptor D4 genotype (DRD4), child temperament, and household chaos on children's externalizing behaviors using a sample of twins/triplets tested at the ages of 4 and 5 years (n = 229), including a subset of these who were tested again in middle childhood (ages 7-13 years; n = 174). Multilevel linear regression modeling demonstrated that the DRD4-7repeat genotype, 4-year-old negative affectivity, and household chaos at the age of 4 years were related to 5-year-old externalizing behaviors. Stability in externalizing behaviors from the age of 5 years to middle childhood was demonstrated. A significant interaction between DRD4 and household chaos showed that children with no 7-repeat DRD4 alleles had significantly higher levels of externalizing in homes with extremely low levels of parent-reported chaos, suggesting a "goodness-of-fit" pattern of gene-environment interaction. These findings suggest that risk for childhood externalizing behaviors is likely multifaceted and differs across developmental periods.

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The influence of DRD4 genotype and perinatal complications on preschoolers' negative emotionality

Cited by 8 publications

References 63 publications

Using an adoption design to test genetically based differences in risk for child behavior problems in response to home environmental influences

Using an adoption design to test genetically based differences in risk for child behavior problems in response to home environmental influences

Health Outcomes Associated With Internalizing Problems in Early Childhood and Adolescence

The impact of dopamine receptor D4, temperamental negativity, and household chaos on young twins’ externalizing behaviors

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