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Bidirectional genetic and environmental influences on mother and child behavior: The family system as the unit of analyses

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 October 2007

W. Roger Mills-Koonce ,
Cathi B. Propper ,
Jean-Louis Gariepy ,
Clancy Blair ,
Patricia Garrett-Peters  and
Martha J. Cox
W. Roger Mills-Koonce*
Affiliation:
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Cathi B. Propper
Affiliation:
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Jean-Louis Gariepy
Affiliation:
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Clancy Blair
Affiliation:
Pennsylvania State University
Patricia Garrett-Peters
Affiliation:
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Martha J. Cox
Affiliation:
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Roger Mills-Koonce, Center for Developmental Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 100 East Franklin Street, CB 8115, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8115; E-mail: [email protected].
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Abstract

Family systems theory proposes that an individual's functioning depends on interactive processes within the self and within the context of dyadic family subsystems. Previous research on these processes has focused largely on behavioral, cognitive, and psychophysiological properties of the individual and the dyad. The goals of this study were to explore genetic and environmental interactions within the family system by examining how the dopamine receptor D2 gene (DRD2) A1+ polymorphism in mothers and children relates to maternal sensitivity, how maternal and child characteristics might mediate those effects, and whether maternal sensitivity moderates the association between DRD2 A1+ and child affective problems. Evidence is found for an evocative effect of child polymorphism on parenting behavior, and for a moderating effect of child polymorphism on the association between maternal sensitivity and later child affective problems. Findings are discussed from a family systems perspective, highlighting the role of the family as a context for gene expression in both mothers and children.

Type
Research Article
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 19 , Issue 4 , Fall 2007 , pp. 1073 - 1087
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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