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Birthweight‐discordance and differences in early parenting relate to monozygotic twin differences in behaviour problems and academic achievement at age 7
Author(s) -
Asbury Kathryn,
Dunn Judith F.,
Plomin Robert
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
developmental science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.801
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1467-7687
pISSN - 1363-755X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2006.00469.x
Subject(s) - psychology , developmental psychology , anxiety , longitudinal study , academic achievement , depression (economics) , twin study , psychiatry , genetics , heritability , biology , economics , macroeconomics , statistics , mathematics
This longitudinal monozygotic (MZ) twin differences study explored associations between birthweight and early family environment and teacher‐rated behaviour problems and academic achievement at age 7. MZ differences in anxiety, hyperactivity, conduct problems, peer problems and academic achievement correlated significantly with MZ differences in birthweight and early family environment, showing effect sizes of up to 2%. As predicted by earlier research, associations increased at the extremes of discordance, even in a longitudinal, cross‐rater design, with effect sizes reaching as high as 12%. As with previous research some of these nonshared environmental (NSE) relationships appeared to operate partly as a function of SES, family chaos and maternal depression. Higher‐risk families generally showed stronger negative associations.