Abstract
The aim of the study was to examine the Family and School Psychosocial Environment (FSPE) questionnaire in relation to a possible genotype-environment correlation and genetic mediation between the FSPE variables and personality variables, assessed by the Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. A sample of 506 Swedish children aged 10-20 years from 253 families were recruited via the Swedish state population and address register and SchoolList.Eu. The children were divided into 253 pairs: 46 monozygotic twin pairs, 42 dizygotic twin pairs, 140 pairs of full siblings and 25 pairs of half-siblings. The behavioral genetic analysis showed that both FSPE factors, Warmth and Conflicts, may be partly influenced by genetic factors (suggesting genotype-environment correlation) and that nonadditive genetic factors may mediate the relationship between FSPE factors and psychoticism/antisocial personality (P). An indication of a special shared monozygotic twin environment was found for P and Lie/social desirability, but based on prior research findings this factor may have a minor influence on P and L. P and L were negatively correlated, and the relationship seems to be partly mediated by nonadditive genetic factors. Nonshared environment and measurement errors seem to be the most influential mediating factors, but none of the cross-twin cross-dimension correlations suggest a common shared environmental mediating factor.
Highlights
Behavioral genetic research has shown that psychosocial environmental measures are important tools in the study of personality and that such measures may be influenced by genetic factors that relate to personality
Genotype–environment correlation and genetic mediation (Gm) are two closely related concepts that have gained increasing interest in recent decades. relate to personality. Genotype–environment correlation (rGE) implies that genes affect environments indirectly via personality characteristics
An average heritability of 23% was found for family environmental measures, 43% was related to shared environment and 34% was related to nonshared environment
Summary
Behavioral genetic research has shown that psychosocial environmental measures are important tools in the study of personality and that such measures may be influenced by genetic factors that relate to personality. Active rGE refers to instances where individuals themselves select their environment based on their genetic predispositions In both cases, a correlation between environment and personality will occur for genetic reasons (Gm) (Jaffee & Price, 2007; Plomin, 2014). Family and school psychosocial environment (FSPE) was tested on 244 Swedish children where FSPE covered both current familial and extrafamilial (school) environmental factors (Persson, 2011). The highest correlations (.47) were found between FSPE2 and psychoticism (antisocial personality) and between FSPE1 and extraversion (.28) These correlations may, be influenced by genetic factors, and the author suggested that they be tested for rGE (Persson, 2014). The goal of the present study was to unravel possible rGE related to warmth and conflicts and to determine whether Gm factors can explain correlations between these factors and personality
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