UW Longitudinal Gene-Environment Study

This study has been following approximately 200 kindergarten-aged children (~5 years old) with and without behavioral problems (e.g., ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder) since 2016. The primary purpose of the study is to examine how neurobiological (i.e., temperament, genetics) and environmental factors independently and jointly influence variation in early childhood self-control and reward sensitivity, two key constructs within the NIMH Research Domains Criteria (RDoC). Self-control and reward sensitivity are highly heritable, multifactorial constructs with cross-cutting associations to externalizing disorders, such as oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Yet, not all children with deficiencies in these traits develop externalizing problems. The study utilizes a developmental psychopathology framework to examine the neurobiological and environmental factors that underlie these traits, and to determine how variation across these factors may uniquely “set the stage” for behavioral development. We also developed a new ecological momentary assessment tool (i.e., Mobile Survey of Parent-Child Dynamics; MSPCD) to measure daily variations in parent-child dynamics (see Li & Lansford, 2018).

 

Representative articles: