Gene-Parenting interactions as predictors of attention-deficit/hyperactivity problems in adolescence. The TRAILS study.

Kloppenburg, E.C. (2013) Gene-Parenting interactions as predictors of attention-deficit/hyperactivity problems in adolescence. The TRAILS study. thesis, Medicine.

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Abstract

The pathogenesis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) remains unclear. Genes and environmental influences both contribute to the disorder and gender differences in ADHD are documented. ADHD clearly is very heritable, but only small effects of many genes are reported. Therefore, we focused on Gene-Environment interactions (G × E). Some children carrying certain genes are thought to be more susceptible than non-carriers to both positive and negative environmental influences. Parenting style is an important environmental factor contributing to ADHD and accumulating evidence of Gene × Parenting has been collected. Therefore, we explored the predictive role of parenting in interaction with several genes, as measured in 10- to 12-year old adolescents with ADHD, on ADHD problems in 11- to 14-year old adolescents. More specifically, we explored the potential moderating role of candidate genes for ADHD (operationalized as the presence of the DRD4 7-repeat allele, 5-HTTLPR short (S) allele or the COMT Met allele, respectively) and gender. Perceived parental emotional warmth, overprotection and rejection, as measured by the EMBU-C, were assessed in 197 boys and 98 girls with a lifetime diagnosis of either hyperactive or inattentive type of ADHD based on the DISC. DNA was obtained from blood samples. Participants were recruited from the clinic-referred cohort of the TRacking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS). We conducted gender-stratified hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses on DSM-IV ADHD problems at mid-adolescence, based on the CBCL. Our findings suggest that DRD4, 5-HTTLPR and COMT are plasticity genes and therefore susceptible to both positive and negative environmental influences. In conclusion, depending on gender which alleles interacted with parenting, interactions between either DRD4, 5-HTTLPR or COMT and both perceived parental rejection and overprotection in early adolescence predicted the severity of ADHD problems in mid-adolescence in both boys and girls.

Item Type:	Thesis (Thesis)
Supervisor name:	Hoekstra, dr. P.J. and Dietrich, dr. A.
Faculty:	Medical Sciences
Date Deposited:	25 Jun 2020 10:51
Last Modified:	25 Jun 2020 10:51
URI:	https://umcg.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/1194

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