Association of maternal dopamine transporter genotype with negative parenting: evidence for gene x environment interaction with child disruptive behavior

Abstract

Although maternal parenting is central to child development, little is known about the interplay between molecular genetic and environmental factors that influence parenting. We tested the association of the 40-bp variable number tandem repeat polymorphism of the dopamine transporter (DAT1; SLC6A3) gene with three dimensions of observed maternal parenting behavior (positive parenting, negative parenting and total maternal commands). A significant nonadditive association was found between maternal DAT1 genotype and both negative parenting and total commands during a structured mother-child interaction task, even after controlling demographic factors, maternal psychopathology and disruptive child behavior during the task. Furthermore, the association between maternal DAT1 genotype and negative parenting was significantly stronger among mothers whose children were highly disruptive during the mother-child interaction task, suggesting a gene-environment interaction.