Abstract
Background: Childhood behavior problems predict subsequent educational achievement; however, little research has examined the etiology of these links using a longitudinal twin design. Moreover, it is unknown whether genetic and environmental innovations provide incremental prediction for educational achievement from childhood to adolescence.
Methods: We examined genetic and environmental influences on parental ratings of behavior problems across childhood (age 4) and adolescence (ages 12 and 16) as predictors of educational achievement at age 16 using a longitudinal classical twin design.
Results: Shared-environmental influences on anxiety, conduct problems, and peer problems at age 4 predicted educational achievement at age 16. Genetic influences on the externalizing behaviors of conduct problems and hyperactivity at age 4 predicted educational achievement at age 16. Moreover, novel genetic and (to a lesser extent) nonshared-environmental influences acting on conduct problems and hyperactivity emerged at ages 12 and 16, adding to the genetic prediction from age 4.
Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that genetic and shared-environmental factors underpinning behavior problems in early childhood predict educational achievement in mid-adolescence. These findings are consistent with the notion that early-childhood behavior problems reflect the initiation of a life-course persistent trajectory with concomitant implications for social attainment. However, we also find evidence that genetic and nonshared-environment innovations acting on behavior problems have implications for subsequent educational achievement, consistent with recent work arguing that adolescence represents a sensitive period for socio-affective development.
Methods: We examined genetic and environmental influences on parental ratings of behavior problems across childhood (age 4) and adolescence (ages 12 and 16) as predictors of educational achievement at age 16 using a longitudinal classical twin design.
Results: Shared-environmental influences on anxiety, conduct problems, and peer problems at age 4 predicted educational achievement at age 16. Genetic influences on the externalizing behaviors of conduct problems and hyperactivity at age 4 predicted educational achievement at age 16. Moreover, novel genetic and (to a lesser extent) nonshared-environmental influences acting on conduct problems and hyperactivity emerged at ages 12 and 16, adding to the genetic prediction from age 4.
Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that genetic and shared-environmental factors underpinning behavior problems in early childhood predict educational achievement in mid-adolescence. These findings are consistent with the notion that early-childhood behavior problems reflect the initiation of a life-course persistent trajectory with concomitant implications for social attainment. However, we also find evidence that genetic and nonshared-environment innovations acting on behavior problems have implications for subsequent educational achievement, consistent with recent work arguing that adolescence represents a sensitive period for socio-affective development.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 292-304 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry |
| Volume | 58 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 10 Nov 2016 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 14 Feb 2017 |
Bibliographical note
© 2016 The Authors.Keywords
- education
- genetics
- Longitudinal
- twin study
- behavior problems
- SDQ
- Education
- Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire
- longitudinal
- Conduct Disorder/etiology
- Prognosis
- Humans
- Wales
- Child, Preschool
- England
- Peer Group
- Male
- Educational Status
- Social Behavior
- Female
- Child
- Interpersonal Relations
- Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/etiology
- Anxiety/etiology
- Adolescent
- Environment
- Longitudinal Studies
