Polygenic Risk for Aggression Predicts Adult Substance Use Disorder Diagnoses via Substance Use Offending in Emerging Adulthood and is Moderated by a Family-Centered Intervention

Effects of a preventive parenting intervention for bereaved families on the intergenerational transmission of parenting attitudes: Mediating processes

“…Further, the results of the current study also highlight the power of parenting programs by showing the FBP’s ability to improve an aspect of parenting, attitudes toward parenting, that is likely genetically influenced. Moreover, previous studies have demonstrated that engagement with a preventive intervention, the Family Check-Up, interacted with genetic factors to predict offspring outcomes such that adolescents with genetic risk who were in the program condition were less likely to develop negative outcomes (Elam et al, 2021; Lemery-Chalfant et al, 2018; Shaw et al, 2019).…”

An Introduction to the Special Issue: Developmental Behavior Genetics and Externalizing Psychopathology

“…This is especially important given that different genetic and social processes may underlie externalizing psychopathology which may be conflated with racism, discrimination, and broader social inequality. Two studies in this issue did demonstrate that although there were some differences between Black and White individuals, the models predicting externalizing behaviors were mostly similar (Elam et al 2021;Womack et al 2021), although some differences did emerge (Elam et al 2021), suggesting the need for further research on larger samples of ethnically diverse groups. Future behavior genetic studies that include more information about different social groups and sociocultural influences can help clarify ways in which genes and environments interact to affect externalizing problem behaviors.…”

“…The polygenic score predicted aggression from 12 to 41 years of age in the Netherlands sample whereas the polygenic effect peaked at age 40 in the Australian sample. Finally, Elam et al (2021) created a functional polygenic score for aggression in predicting substance use disorder (SUD) diagnoses at age 27 via substance use offending at age 19, obtained from court records. Participants were from a randomized control trial of a family-based intervention in adolescence, the Family Check-Up, so gene-by-intervention effects were also examined.…”

Research on Gene–Environment Interplay Over Time in Diverse Populations to Inform Public Health Initiatives

“…This can include providing positive and structured individual, parent, or peer behaviors, as well as establishing school or community-based resources or practices. Evidence of GxI effects demonstrates that programs focused on changing social and contextual environments can be effective in attenuating genetic effects on substance use and other maladaptive behaviors (e.g., Elam et al, 2021; Elam et al, 2022).…”

“…In this situation, an intervention buffers the association between genetic predisposition and a behavior. According to this growing body of research, psychosocial prevention and interventions programs can buffer polygenic predisposition for marijuana use (Musci et al, 2018), internalizing behavior (Lemery-Chalfant et al, 2018), alcohol use and dependence (Kuo et al, 2019), and aggression (Elam et al, 2021(Elam et al, , 2022. Broadly, psychosocial prevention and intervention programs aim to promote positive individual, social, and contextual mechanisms and/or provide alternative strategies for risk mechanisms.…”