Genetic, Hormone, and Family Environmental Influences on the Development of Adolescent Internalizing and Externalizing Behavior
Open Access
- Author:
- Marceau, Kristine P.
- Graduate Program:
- Psychology
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- May 15, 2013
- Committee Members:
- Jenae Marie Neiderhiser, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Elizabeth Susman, Committee Member
Alysia Blandon, Committee Member
Ginger A Moore, Committee Member - Keywords:
- developmental psychology
genetic
hormone
family
internalizing behavior
externalizing behavior - Abstract:
- Our understanding of the development of internalizing and externalizing problems can be greatly strengthened through interdisciplinary research using a family-based approach combining the strengths of behavioral genetics and behavioral endocrinology. This dissertation thesis presents a rationale and conceptual framework for testing the complex transactional associations between genetic, prenatal, endocrine, and family environmental influences hypothesized by existing literature. Empirical support for the conceptual framework is presented in the form of three studies designed to test important facets of the proposed conceptual model. The first study probed the gene-environment interplay underlying the association between parental negativity and externalizing problems in adolescence and shows that parental negativity is a response to adolescents’ genetically informed externalizing problems- not an environmental influence causing adolescents’ externalizing problems. The second study tested the associations between reactivity of several hormones to mother-child conflict, parental negativity and internalizing and externalizing problems during adolescence, and suggests that parental conflict and negativity can moderate hormone-behavior associations. Finally, the third study tested the associations and interactions among select genetic, prenatal, endocrine, and postnatal environmental influences on the development of internalizing and externalizing problems across infancy to middle childhood, and demonstrates that prenatal and endocrine influences can mediate genetic and environmental influences on internalizing, but not externalizing problems during childhood. Together, these studies generally support the proposed conceptual framework for the integration of genetic, prenatal, endocrine, and family environmental influences on the development of adolescent externalizing problems.