Understanding Mechanisms of Genetic Risk for Adolescent Internalizing and Externalizing Problems: The Mediating Role of Parenting and Personality

Abstract

Genetic predispositions play an important role in the development of internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Understanding the mechanisms through which genetic risk unfolds to influence these developmental outcomes is critical for developing prevention and intervention efforts, capturing key elements of Irv's research agenda and scientific legacy. In this study, we examined the role of parenting and personality in mediating the effect of genetic risk on adolescents' major depressive disorder and conduct disorder symptoms. Longitudinal data were drawn from a sample of 709 European American adolescents and their mothers from the Collaborative Studies on Genetics of Alcoholism. Results from multivariate path analysis indicated that adolescents' depressive symptoms genome-wide polygenic scores (DS_GPS) predicted lower parental knowledge, which in turn was associated with more subsequent major depressive disorder and conduct disorder symptoms. Adolescents' DS_GPS also had indirect effects on these outcomes via personality, with a mediating effect via agreeableness but not via other dimensions of personality. Findings revealed that the pattern of associations was similar across adolescent gender. Our findings emphasize the important role of evocative gene-environment correlation processes and intermediate phenotypes in the pathways of risk from genetic predispositions to complex adolescent outcomes.

Genetic variance in conscientiousness relates to youth psychopathology beyond executive functions.

“…This is the case at both the level of specific problems, such as conduct problems, ADHD, or anxiety (Deater-Deckard et al, 2007;Gagne et al, 2017;Young et al, 2009), and at levels of psychopathology more broadly conceived than individual disorders (e.g., internalizing and externalizing domains or broad psychological adjustment; Fagnani et al, 2017;Lemery-Chalfant et al, 2008). Similarly, several studies have linked broad internalizing and externalizing domains with conscientiousness and related traits via shared additive genetic influences (Gagne et al, 2011;Krueger et al, 2009;Poore et al, 2021;Vasin & Lobaskova, 2016;Young et al, 2000), aligning with recent findings that internalizing and externalizing disorders are etiologically connected with conscientiousness and other impulsivity-related traits (Salvatore et al, 2015;Su et al, 2018).…”

Examining social genetic effects on educational attainment via parental educational attainment, income, and parenting.

“…Although paternal bonding was associated with higher offspring educational attainment, it was not significantly associated with paternal educational attainment and income, and thus did not mediate the association between paternal education polygenic score, paternal educational attainment, and offspring educational attainment. It is possible that father's parenting is more influenced by their own mental health such as alcohol and drug problems (Su et al, 2018) rather than their socioeconomic status. We note that our sample size for the analysis involving a measure of parenting was relatively small, and thus this study might be underpowered in detecting the association between parental education polygenic score and parenting behaviors.…”

The Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism: Overview

“…We have also utilized polygenic scores (PGS, or polygenic risk scores, PRS) extensively in COGA. Integrated with both our behavioral/clinical and brain function data, PGS data in COGA have uncovered the importance of genetic susceptibility in longitudinal pathways of alcohol involvement, internalizing and externalizing phenotypes, as well as novel neural synchrony measures (e.g., References 38,48,49).…”