Associations between genetic predisposition to mental health problems and academic achievement: a developmental perspective using two population‐based cohorts

IF 7 1区医学 Q1 PSYCHIATRY

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry Pub Date : 2025-09-02 DOI:10.1111/jcpp.70043

Marie‐Pier Larose, Isabel Schuurmans, Edward D. Barker, Liliana Garcia Mondragon, Henning Tiemeier, Irwin Waldman, Charlotte Cecil

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

BackgroundChildren's cognitive abilities play an important role throughout their academic career, but recent studies highlight the negative impacts of aggression, inattention, and impulsivity on academic success. These behaviors and traits are central to most externalizing (EXT) and neurodevelopmental (NDD) problems, which are substantially genetically influenced. We examined the mechanisms by which high levels of genetic predispositions to EXT and NDD problems associate with elevated mental health symptoms and subsequently lead to lower levels of academic achievement in two developmental periods (i.e., childhood and adolescence).MethodsAnalyses were performed on a subset of participants from the Generation R Study (N = 2,992) and the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) (N = 5,099). Using structural equation modeling, we simultaneously tested for indirect pathways between polygenic scores for externalizing and neurodevelopmental problems (PGS‐EXT and PGS‐NDD) and academic achievement (age 12 in the Generation R Study and age 16 in ALSPAC) via children's symptomatology for conduct, attention, social, and oppositional defiant problems reported by mothers during early childhood (Generation R Study) and from childhood to adolescence (ALSPAC study). Our models were adjusted for children's sex, exposure to adversity, cognitive abilities, early school achievement (only in ALSPAC), and genetic predisposition to educational attainment.ResultsIn both cohorts, we found that higher levels of PGS‐NDD were associated with lower levels of academic achievement via higher attention problems. In adolescence only, we found that higher levels of PGS‐NDD and PGS‐EXT were associated with lower academic achievement via higher levels of conduct problems.ConclusionsGenetic predispositions to EXT and NDD were indirectly associated with academic achievement beyond the PGS for educational attainment, highlighting the need for sustained efforts to support children with attention problems in educational settings and to intervene on conduct problems, particularly during adolescence.Pre‐registration numberDoi: 10.17605/OSF.IO/SQTJH.

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心理健康问题的遗传易感性与学业成就之间的关系：基于两个人群队列的发展视角

儿童的认知能力在他们的学业生涯中扮演着重要的角色，但最近的研究强调了攻击性、注意力不集中和冲动对学业成功的负面影响。这些行为和特征是大多数外化（EXT）和神经发育（NDD）问题的核心，这些问题在很大程度上受遗传影响。我们研究了高水平的EXT和NDD问题遗传易感性与心理健康症状升高相关的机制，并随后导致两个发育时期（即童年和青春期）学业成绩较低。方法对来自R世代研究（N = 2992）和雅芳父母与儿童纵向研究（N = 5099）的参与者进行分析。使用结构方程模型，我们同时通过母亲在儿童早期（R代研究）和从童年到青春期（ALSPAC研究）报告的行为、注意力、社会和对立违抗问题的儿童症状，测试了外化和神经发育问题（PGS‐EXT和PGS‐NDD）的多基因得分与学业成就（R代研究中为12岁，ALSPAC研究中为16岁）之间的间接途径。我们的模型根据儿童的性别、逆境暴露、认知能力、早期学校成绩（仅在ALSPAC中）和受教育程度的遗传倾向进行了调整。结果在这两个队列中，我们发现较高水平的PGS - NDD与较高的注意力问题导致的较低的学业成绩相关。仅在青春期，我们发现较高水平的PGS - NDD和PGS - EXT通过较高水平的行为问题与较低的学业成绩相关。结论：EXT和NDD的遗传易感性与学业成绩间接相关，这突出了在教育环境中持续努力支持有注意力问题的儿童，并干预他们的行为问题，特别是在青春期。预注册号doi: 10.17605/OSF.IO/SQTJH。

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来源期刊

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 医学-精神病学

CiteScore

13.80

自引率

5.30%

发文量

169

审稿时长

1 months

期刊介绍： The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (JCPP) is a highly regarded international publication that focuses on the fields of child and adolescent psychology and psychiatry. It is recognized for publishing top-tier, clinically relevant research across various disciplines related to these areas. JCPP has a broad global readership and covers a diverse range of topics, including: Epidemiology: Studies on the prevalence and distribution of mental health issues in children and adolescents. Diagnosis: Research on the identification and classification of childhood disorders. Treatments: Psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacological interventions for child and adolescent mental health. Behavior and Cognition: Studies on the behavioral and cognitive aspects of childhood disorders. Neuroscience and Neurobiology: Research on the neural and biological underpinnings of child mental health. Genetics: Genetic factors contributing to the development of childhood disorders. JCPP serves as a platform for integrating empirical research, clinical studies, and high-quality reviews from diverse perspectives, theoretical viewpoints, and disciplines. This interdisciplinary approach is a key feature of the journal, as it fosters a comprehensive understanding of child and adolescent mental health. The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry is published 12 times a year and is affiliated with the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH), which supports the journal's mission to advance knowledge and practice in the field of child and adolescent mental health.