Genetic Moderation of Transactional Relations Between Parenting Practices and Child Self-Regulation

The present study addressed the ways in which parent and child dopamine D4 receptor ( DRD4) genotypes jointly moderate the transactional relations between parenting practices and child self-regulation. African American children ( N = 309) and their parents provided longitudinal data spanning child ages 11 to 15 years and a saliva sample from which variation at DRD4 was genotyped. Based on the differential susceptibility perspective, this study examined moderation effects of DRD4 status on ( a) the extent to which parenting practices affect child self-regulation and ( b) the extent to which child self-regulation, as an environmental influence on the parent, affects parenting behavior. Results indicated that responsive-supportive parenting interacted with children's DRD4 status to influence increases in child self-regulation. Also, child self-regulation interacted with parent's DRD4 status to predict changes in parenting practices. Both Gene x Environment effects conformed to a differential susceptibility model in which parents' and children's DRD4 genes operated to increase environmental sensitivity "for better and for worse."