Does Bonferroni correction "rescue" the deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?

Area of Science:

• Forensic genetics
• Population genetics
• Statistical genetics

Background:

• The application of Bonferroni correction (BC) to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) tests in forensic population genetics is a common but controversial practice.
• A survey of studies in major forensic genetics journals (2009-2019) revealed inconsistent application of BC and a lack of explanation for HWE deviations.

Discussion:

• BC may yield imprudent results in HWE testing due to irrelevant null hypotheses and inflated Type II errors.
• The study highlights issues like reluctance to reject the null hypothesis and varied interpretations of p-values when using BC.
• The necessity and appropriateness of BC in forensic population genetics are questioned, particularly for multiple loci HWE tests.

Key Insights:

• There is no uniform standard for applying BC to HWE tests in forensic genetics research.
• BC can lead to an inflated Type II error rate, potentially masking true genetic variations.
• Directly explaining deviations from HWE is more informative than relying on statistical corrections like BC.

Outlook:

• Future forensic genetics research should prioritize understanding the biological causes of HWE deviations over applying statistical corrections.
• The study recommends a two-step approach: identify causes of HWE departures and evaluate their biological consequences.
• Forensic researchers are advised to meticulously check genotyping data for HWE deviations before considering statistical adjustments.