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Infant development in family context: call for a genetically informed approach

Stephanie H Parade1, John McGeary, Ronald Seifer

  • 1Bradley/Hasbro Children's Research Center and the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence RI, USA.

Frontiers in Genetics
|September 13, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Integrating infant genetics into family studies can enhance understanding of social-emotional development. This genetically informed approach examines parent-child, inter-parental, and whole-family dynamics for better interventions.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Behavioral Genetics
  • Family Studies

Background:

  • Infant social and emotional development is influenced by family context.
  • Previous research has explored genetic variation in infants moderating parent-child interactions.
  • Gaps exist in understanding genetic influences on inter-parental and whole-family functioning.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To advocate for a genetically informed approach to infant social and emotional development within family systems.
  • To expand the scope of genetic inquiry to include inter-parental and whole-family functioning.
  • To highlight the need for integrating genetic variation with temperament, gene-environment correlations, and epigenetic effects.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review and critical analysis.
  • Conceptualization of family functioning across three levels: parent-child dyad, inter-parental dyad, and whole family.
  • Call for application of genetically-informed research methodologies.

Main Results:

  • Genetic variation in infants can moderate the impact of family functioning on development.
  • Existing research primarily focuses on parent-child dyads, necessitating broader investigation.
  • Further research should incorporate temperament, gene-environment correlations, and epigenetic factors.

Conclusions:

  • A genetically informed framework is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of infant social-emotional development.
  • Expanding research to inter-parental and whole-family levels, considering genetic moderators, is essential.
  • This approach holds potential for refining interventions promoting healthy infant development.

Keywords:
developmentfamily functioninggene-environment interactionsinfancytemperament

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