Open AccessGenetic Differential Sensitivity to Social Environments: Implications for Research
Author(s) -
Colter Mitchell,
Sara McLanahan,
Jeanne BrooksGunn,
Irwin Garfinkel,
John Hobcraft,
Daniel A. Notterman
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.2013.301382
Subject(s) - sensitivity (control systems) , differential (mechanical device) , public health , psychology , social environment , environmental health , social psychology , sociology , medicine , social science , nursing , electronic engineering , engineering , aerospace engineering
Researchers have proposed a genetic differential sensitivity to social environmental (GDSE) model positing that individuals with certain genetic makeups are more sensitive to favorable and unfavorable environmental influences than those without these genetic makeups. We discuss several issues facing researchers who want to use GDSE to examine health: (1) the need for greater theorizing about the social environment to properly understand the size and direction of environmental influences; (2) the potential for combining multiple genetic markers to measure an individual's genetic sensitivity to environmental influence; (3) how this model and exogenous shocks deal with gene-environment correlations; (4) implications of this model for public health and prevention; and (5) how life course and developmental theories may be used to inform GDSE research.