Skip to main content
Log in

Youth Polygenic Scores, Youth ADHD Symptoms, and Parenting Dimensions: An Evocative Gene-Environment Correlation Study

  • Published:
Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Parenting practices and parental symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been linked to severity and course of youth ADHD. However, genetically influenced behaviors related to ADHD in youth may also influence parenting behaviors. Polygenic scores (PGS) have been widely used to quantify genetic vulnerability for ADHD but has rarely been used to examine gene-environment correlation effects. The current study examined the direct effects of youth ADHD PGS and its evocative effects on parenting behaviors via youth ADHD symptoms. 803 youth aged 6–18 years (58.5% male) completed a multistage, multi-informant assessment that included measures of parenting practices and youth and parental ADHD symptoms. A mediation model was used to evaluate direct and evocative effects. Furthermore, we examined if these evocative effects remain after controlling for parental ADHD symptoms. Sensitivity analyses across age, sex, and socioeconomic status (SES) as well as restricting ancestry groups to European only ancestry were also conducted. Results indicated that youth ADHD PGS reliably predicted youth ADHD symptoms across all models (βs ranging from 0.18 to 0.26), including across age, sex, and SES and held even with ancestry restricted to the largest group (northern European). Evocative effects emerged such that higher youth PGS significantly predicted more youth ADHD symptoms, which in turn, significantly predicted lower levels of parental involvement and higher levels of poor supervision/monitoring and inconsistent discipline. These effects remained after controlling for parent ADHD symptoms.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Data Availability

Data and code are available from the first author upon request.

References

  • Agnew-Blais, J. C., Wertz, J., Arseneault, L., Belsky, D. W., Danese, A., Pingault, J.-B., Polanczyk, G. V., Sugden, K., Williams, B., & Moffitt, T. E. (2022). Mother’s and children’s ADHD genetic risk, household chaos and children’s ADHD symptoms: A gene–environment correlation study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 63(10), 1153–1163. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13659

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Alemany, S., Jansen, P. R., Muetzel, R. L., Marques, N., El Marroun, H., Jaddoe, V. W. V., Polderman, T. J. C., Tiemeier, H., Posthuma, D., & White, T. (2019). Common Polygenic Variations for Psychiatric Disorders and Cognition in Relation to Brain Morphology in the General Pediatric Population. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 58(6), 600–607. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2018.09.443

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Avinun, R., & Knafo, A. (2014). Parenting as a Reaction Evoked by Children’s Genotype: A Meta-Analysis of Children-as-Twins Studies. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 18(1), 87–102. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868313498308

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barnett, M. A., & Scaramella, L. V. (2013). Mothers’ parenting and child sex differences in behavior problems among African American preschoolers. Journal of Family Psychology, 27(5), 773–783. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033792

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Burke, J. D., Pardini, D. A., & Loeber, R. (2008). Reciprocal Relationships Between Parenting Behavior and Disruptive Psychopathology from Childhood Through Adolescence. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 36(5), 679–692. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-008-9219-7

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, S. B., Halperin, J. M., & Sonuga-Barke, E. J. S. (2014). A Developmental Perspective on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In M. Lewis & K. D. Rudolph (Eds.), Handbook of Developmental Psychopathology (pp. 427–448). Springer US. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9608-3_22

  • Chronis-Tuscano, A., Raggi, V. L., Clarke, T. L., Rooney, M. E., Diaz, Y., & Pian, J. (2008). Associations between Maternal Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms and Parenting. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 36(8), 1237–1250. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-008-9246-4

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Claussen, A. H., Holbrook, J. R., Hutchins, H. J., Robinson, L. R., Bloomfield, J., Meng, L., Bitsko, R. H., O’Masta, B., Cerles, A., Maher, B., Rush, M., & Kaminski, J. W. (2022). All in the Family? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Parenting and Family Environment as Risk Factors for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Children. Prevention Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-022-01358-4

  • Conners, C. K. (1997). Conners’ Rating Scales—Revised. Multi-Health Systems.

    Google Scholar 

  • Conners, C. K., Erhardt, D., & Sparrow, E. (1998). The Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scale (CAARS). Multi-Health Systems Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deault, L. C. (2010). A Systematic Review of Parenting in Relation to the Development of Comorbidities and Functional Impairments in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 41(2), 168–192. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-009-0159-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Demmer, D. H., Puccio, F., Stokes, M. A., McGillivray, J. A., & Hooley, M. (2018). The Influence of Child Gender on the Prospective Relationships between Parenting and Child ADHD. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 46(1), 113–125. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-017-0284-7

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Demontis, D., Walters, R. K., Martin, J., Mattheisen, M., Als, T. D., Agerbo, E., Baldursson, G., Belliveau, R., Bybjerg-Grauholm, J., Bækvad-Hansen, M., Cerrato, F., Chambert, K., Churchhouse, C., Dumont, A., Eriksson, N., Gandal, M., Goldstein, J. I., Grasby, K. L., Grove, J., … Neale, B. M. (2019). Discovery of the first genome-wide significant risk loci for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Nature Genetics, 51(1), 63–75. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-018-0269-7

  • Devenish, B., Hooley, M., & Mellor, D. (2017). The Pathways Between Socioeconomic Status and Adolescent Outcomes: A Systematic Review. American Journal of Community Psychology, 59(1–2), 219–238. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12115

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Döpfner, M., Hautmann, C., Görtz-Dorten, A., Klasen, F., Ravens-Sieberer, U., The, B. E. L. L. A., & study group. (2015). Long-term course of ADHD symptoms from childhood to early adulthood in a community sample. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 24(6), 665–673. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-014-0634-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duncan, L., Shen, H., Gelaye, B., Meijsen, J., Ressler, K., Feldman, M., Peterson, R., & Domingue, B. (2019). Analysis of polygenic risk score usage and performance in diverse human populations. Nature Communications, 10(1), 3328. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-11112-0

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • DuPaul, G. J., Power, T. J., Anastopoulos, A. D., & Reid, R. (1998). ADHD Rating Scale—IV: Checklists, norms, and clinical interpretation. Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, B., & Nigg, J. (2009). Parenting Practices and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: New Findings Suggest Partial Specificity of Effects. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 48(2), 146–154. https://doi.org/10.1097/CHI.0b013e31819176d0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Enders, C. K. (2010). Applied missing data analysis. Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frick, P. J., Christian, R. E., & Wootton, J. M. (1999). Age Trends in the Association between Parenting Practices and Conduct Problems. Behavior Modification, 23(1), 106–128. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145445599231005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haack, L. M., Villodas, M. T., McBurnett, K., Hinshaw, S., & Pfiffner, L. J. (2016). Parenting Mediates Symptoms and Impairment in Children With ADHD-Inattentive Type. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 45(2), 155–166. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2014.958840

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harold, G. T., Leve, L. D., Barrett, D., Elam, K., Neiderhiser, J. M., Natsuaki, M. N., Shaw, D. S., Reiss, D., & Thapar, A. (2013). Biological and rearing mother influences on child ADHD symptoms: Revisiting the developmental interface between nature and nurture. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 54(10), 1038–1046. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12100

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hawes, D. J., Dadds, M. R., Frost, A. D. J., & Russell, A. (2013). Parenting Practices and Prospective Levels of Hyperactivity/Inattention Across Early- and Middle-Childhood. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 35(3), 273–282. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-013-9341-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herbers, J. E., Garcia, E. B., & Obradović, J. (2017). Parenting Assessed by Observation versus Parent-report: Moderation by Parent Distress and Family Socioeconomic Status. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 26(12), 3339–3350. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0848-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hinshaw, S. P., Arnold, L. E., & Group, F. the M. C. (2015). Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, multimodal treatment, and longitudinal outcome: Evidence, paradox, and challenge. Wires Cognitive Science, 6(1), 39–52. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.1324

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Howie, B. N., Donnelly, P., & Marchini, J. (2009). A Flexible and Accurate Genotype Imputation Method for the Next Generation of Genome-Wide Association Studies. PLoS Genetics, 5(6), e1000529. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1000529

  • Jansen, A. G., Dieleman, G. C., Jansen, P. R., Verhulst, F. C., Posthuma, D., & Polderman, T. J. C. (2020). Psychiatric Polygenic Risk Scores as Predictor for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Clinical Child and Adolescent Sample. Behavior Genetics, 50(4), 203–212. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-019-09965-8

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johnston, C., & Mash, E. J. (2001). Families of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Review and recommendations for future research. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 4(3), 183–207.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johnston, C., Mash, E. J., Miller, N., & Ninowski, J. E. (2012). Parenting in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Clinical Psychology Review, 32(4), 215–228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2012.01.007

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kaiser, N. M., McBurnett, K., & Pfiffner, L. J. (2011). Child ADHD Severity and Positive and Negative Parenting as Predictors of Child Social Functioning: Evaluation of Three Theoretical Models. Journal of Attention Disorders, 15(3), 193–203. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054709356171

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C., Adler, L., Ames, M., Demler, O., Faraone, S., Hiripi, E., Howes, M. J., Jin, R., Secnik, K., Spencer, T., Ustun, T. B., & Walters, E. E. (2005). The World Health Organization Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS). Psychological Medicine, 35(2), 245–256.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Keown, L. J. (2012). Predictors of Boys’ ADHD Symptoms from Early to Middle Childhood: The Role of Father-Child and Mother-Child Interactions. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 40(4), 569–581. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-011-9586-3

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Klahr, A. M., & Burt, S. A. (2014). Elucidating the etiology of individual differences in parenting: A meta-analysis of behavioral genetic research. Psychological Bulletin, 140(2), 544–586. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034205

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Li, J. J., & He, Q. (2021). Polygenic Scores for ADHD: A Meta-Analysis. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, 49(3), 297–310. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-021-00774-4

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mills-Koonce, W. R., Willoughby, M. T., Garrett-Peters, P., Wagner, N., Vernon-Feagans, L., & Investigators, T. F. L. P. K. (2016). The interplay among socioeconomic status, household chaos, and parenting in the prediction of child conduct problems and callous–unemotional behaviors. Development and Psychopathology, 28(3), 757–771. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579416000298

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Modesto-Lowe, V., Danforth, J. S., & Brooks, D. (2008). ADHD: Does Parenting Style Matter? Clinical Pediatrics, 47(9), 865–872. https://doi.org/10.1177/0009922808319963

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mokrova, I., O’Brien, M., Calkins, S., & Keane, S. (2010). Parental ADHD Symptomology and Ineffective Parenting: The Connecting Link of Home Chaos. Parenting, 10(2), 119–135. https://doi.org/10.1080/15295190903212844

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Muñoz-Suazo, M. D., Navarro-Muñoz, J., Díaz-Román, A., Coronilla-García, M., Porcel-Gálvez, A. M., & Gil-García, E. (2020). Parenting practices among parents of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Gender-related differences. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 76(1), 239–245. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22873

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Muthén, L. K. & Muthén, B. O. (1998–2017). Mplus User’s Guide (Eighth Edition). Los Angeles, CA: Muthen & Muthen.

  • Nam, C. B., & Boyd, M. (2004). Occupational Status in 2000; Over a Century of Census-Based Measurement. Population Research and Policy Review, 23(4), 327–358. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:POPU.0000040045.51228.34

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nigg, J. T., Karalunas, S. L., Gustafsson, H. C., Bhatt, P., Ryabinin, P., Mooney, M. A., Faraone, S. V., Fair, D. A., & Wilmot, B. (2020). Evaluating chronic emotional dysregulation and irritability in relation to ADHD and depression genetic risk in children with ADHD. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 61(2), 205–214. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13132

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nikolas, M. A., & Burt, S. A. (2010). Genetic and environmental influences on ADHD symptom dimensions of inattention and hyperactivity: A meta-analysis. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 119(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018010

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Østergaard, S. D., Trabjerg, B. B., Als, T. D., Climent, C. A., Privé, F., Vilhjálmsson, B. J., Bækvad-Hansen, M., Bybjerg-Grauholm, J., Hougaard, D. M., Nordentoft, M., Werge, T., Demontis, D., Mortensen, P. B., Børglum, A. D., Mors, O., & Agerbo, E. (2020). Polygenic risk score, psychosocial environment and the risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Translational Psychiatry, 10(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-020-01019-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Park, J. L., Hudec, K. L., & Johnston, C. (2017). Parental ADHD symptoms and parenting behaviors: A meta-analytic review. Clinical Psychology Review, 56, 25–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2017.05.003

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Plomin, R., DeFries, J. C., & Loehlin, J. C. (1977). Genotype-environment interaction and correlation in the analysis of human behavior. Psychological Bulletin, 84(2), 309–322. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.84.2.309

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Puig-Antich, J., & Ryan, N. (1986). Kiddie schedule for affective disorders and schizophrenia. Pittsburgh, PA: Western Psychiatric Institute.

  • Ramos-Olazagasti, M. A., Castellanos, F. X., Mannuzza, S., & Klein, R. G. (2018). Predicting the Adult Functional Outcomes of Boys With ADHD 33 Years Later. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 57(8), 571-582.e1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2018.04.015

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ronald, A., de Bode, N., & Polderman, T. J. C. (2021). Systematic Review: How the Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Polygenic Risk Score Adds to Our Understanding of ADHD and Associated Traits. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2021.01.019

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosseel, Y. (2012). lavaan: An R Package for Structural Equation Modeling. Journal of Statistical Software, 48, 1–36. https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v048.i02

  • Russell, A. E., Ford, T., Williams, R., & Russell, G. (2016). The Association Between Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Systematic Review. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 47(3), 440–458. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-015-0578-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sellers, R., Harold, G. T., Smith, A. F., Neiderhiser, J. M., Reiss, D., Shaw, D., Natsuaki, M. N., Thapar, A., & Leve, L. D. (2021). Disentangling nature from nurture in examining the interplay between parent–child relationships, ADHD, and early academic attainment. Psychological Medicine, 51(4), 645–652. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291719003593

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shaffer, D., Fisher, P., Lucas, C. P., Dulcan, M. K., & Schwab-Stone, M. E. (2000). NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Version IV (NIMH DISC-IV): Description, differences from previous versions, and reliability of some common diagnoses. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 39(1), 28–38. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-200001000-00014

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shelton, K. K., Frick, P. J., & Wootton, J. (1996). Assessment of parenting practices in families of elementary school-age children. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 25(3), 317–329. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15374424jccp2503_8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sudre, G., Frederick, J., Sharp, W., Ishii-Takahashi, A., Mangalmurti, A., Choudhury, S., & Shaw, P. (2020). Mapping associations between polygenic risks for childhood neuropsychiatric disorders, symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, cognition, and the brain. Molecular Psychiatry, 25(10), 2482–2492. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-019-0350-3

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, M. J., Martin, J., Lu, Y., Brikell, I., Lundström, S., Larsson, H., & Lichtenstein, P. (2019). Association of Genetic Risk Factors for Psychiatric Disorders and Traits of These Disorders in a Swedish Population Twin Sample. JAMA Psychiatry, 76(3), 280–289. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.3652

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tung, I., Brammer, W. A., Li, J. J., & Lee, S. S. (2015). Parenting Behavior Mediates the Intergenerational Association of Parent and Child Offspring ADHD Symptoms. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 44(5), 787–799. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2014.913250

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vilhjálmsson, B. J., Yang, J., Finucane, H. K., Gusev, A., Lindström, S., Ripke, S., Genovese, G., Loh, P.-R., Bhatia, G., Do, R., Hayeck, T., Won, H.-H., Ripke, S., Neale, B. M., Corvin, A., Walters, J. T. R., Farh, K.-H., Holmans, P. A., Lee, P., … Price, A. L. (2015). Modeling Linkage Disequilibrium Increases Accuracy of Polygenic Risk Scores. The American Journal of Human Genetics, 97(4), 576–592. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajhg.2015.09.001

  • Wertz, J., Belsky, J., Moffitt, T. E., Belsky, D. W., Harrington, H., Avinun, R., Poulton, R., Ramrakha, S., & Caspi, A. (2019). Genetics of nurture: A test of the hypothesis that parents’ genetics predict their observed caregiving. Developmental Psychology, 55(7), 1461–1472. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000709

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Wirth, A., Reinelt, T., Gawrilow, C., Schwenck, C., Freitag, C. M., & Rauch, W. A. (2019). Examining the Relationship Between Children’s ADHD Symptomatology and Inadequate Parenting: The Role of Household Chaos. Journal of Attention Disorders, 23(5), 451–462. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054717692881

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This project was supported by Award Number R01MH070004-01A2 and MH-R3759105 from the National Institute of Mental Health. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Mental Health or the National Institutes of Health. The authors also thank all participating children and their families for making this work possible.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Leiana de la Paz.

Ethics declarations

Ethical Approval

This study was approved by the Michigan State University Institutional Review Board and was performed in accordance with the ethical standards as laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all participants.

Conflict of Interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 24 KB)

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

de la Paz, L., Mooney, M.A., Ryabinin, P. et al. Youth Polygenic Scores, Youth ADHD Symptoms, and Parenting Dimensions: An Evocative Gene-Environment Correlation Study. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 51, 665–677 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-023-01024-5

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-023-01024-5

Keywords

Navigation