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Infant Pathways to Externalizing Behavior: Evidence of Genotype × Environment Interaction
Author(s) -
Leve Leslie D.,
Kerr David C. R.,
Shaw Daniel,
Ge Xiaojia,
Neiderhiser Jenae M.,
Scaramella Laura V.,
Reid John B.,
Conger Rand,
Reiss David
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01398.x
Subject(s) - psychology , moderation , developmental psychology , affect (linguistics) , clinical psychology , social psychology , communication
To further the understanding of the effects of early experiences, 9‐month‐old infants were observed during a frustration task. The analytical sample was composed of 348 linked triads of participants (adoptive parents, adopted child, and birth parent[s]) from a prospective adoption study. It was hypothesized that genetic risk for externalizing problems and affect dysregulation in the adoptive parents would independently and interactively predict a known precursor to externalizing problems: heightened infant attention to frustrating events. Results supported the moderation hypotheses involving adoptive mother affect dysregulation: Infants at genetic risk showed heightened attention to frustrating events only when the adoptive mother had higher levels of anxious and depressive symptoms. The Genotype × Environment interaction pattern held when substance use during pregnancy was considered.