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Genetic risks, adolescent health, and schooling attainment
Vikesh Amin1, Jere R Behrman2,3, Jason M Fletcher4,5,6
1Department of Economics, Central Michigan University, Mt Pleasant, Michigan, USA.
Health Economics
|September 2, 2021
Summary
Adolescent smoking and depression negatively impact educational achievement, even with genetic predispositions. Obesity showed no consistent effect on schooling attainment in this study.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral genetics
- Developmental psychology
- Educational attainment
Background:
- Adolescent health behaviors and outcomes like obesity, depression, smoking, and ADHD can influence long-term educational trajectories.
- Understanding these relationships is crucial for developing targeted interventions and support systems.
- Previous research faces challenges with omitted variable bias and reverse causality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the causal effects of adolescent health behaviors/outcomes on schooling attainment.
- To address methodological challenges including omitted variable bias and reverse causality.
- To provide robust evidence using advanced econometric and genetic approaches.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) dataset.
- Employed health polygenic scores (PGSs) to estimate genetic predispositions and mitigate reverse causality.
- Applied sibling fixed-effects models to control for shared genetic and family factors, with PGSs as additional controls.
Main Results:
- Consistent evidence indicates that genetic predisposition to smoking and adolescent smoking reduce schooling attainment.
- Adolescent depression and genetic risk for depression also appear to negatively impact educational outcomes, though estimates are less precise.
- Mixed findings for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); genetic risk suggested lower schooling grades, but ADHD itself showed no significant effect.
- No consistent evidence found for a detrimental effect of adolescent obesity on schooling attainment.
Conclusions:
- Smoking and depression during adolescence are significant detriments to educational attainment, supported by genetic and familial analyses.
- The impact of ADHD on schooling is less clear, with genetic predisposition showing some effect but not the disorder itself.
- Obesity in adolescence does not appear to be a consistent barrier to educational achievement.
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