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The Interaction Between Socioeconomic Status, Parent-Child Relationship, and the COMT Val158Met Polymorphism Predicts

Yuewen Zhang1,2

  • 1School of Psychology, Key Laboratory of Behavioral and Mental Health of Gansu Province, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, China.

Developmental Psychobiology
|July 7, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Family socioeconomic status (SES), parent-child relationships, and COMT Val158Met gene variations interact to influence preschool children's executive function (EF). This complex interplay highlights environmental and genetic factors in cognitive development.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Behavioral Genetics
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Executive function (EF) is critical for children's cognitive development.
  • Family environment and genetic factors are known to influence EF.
  • The COMT Val158Met polymorphism is a common genetic variation studied for its effects on cognition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the combined effects of family socioeconomic status (SES), parent-child relationship quality, and COMT Val158Met genotype on preschool children's EF.
  • To explore potential gene-environment interactions in shaping executive functions.
  • To understand the multifaceted determinants of early cognitive development.

Main Methods:

  • A sample of 748 Chinese preschoolers and their parents participated.
  • Data collection included parent-reported questionnaires on family SES, parent-child relationship, and child's EF.
  • Children provided saliva samples for COMT Val158Met genotyping.

Main Results:

  • A significant three-way interaction was found between family SES, parent-child relationship, and COMT Val158Met genotype in predicting preschoolers' EF.
  • The interaction between family SES and parent-child relationship was significant specifically for children with the Val/Val genotype.
  • No significant interaction was observed for children with Met/Met or Val/Met genotypes.

Conclusions:

  • Children's executive function is influenced by a complex interplay of environmental (family SES, parent-child relationship) and genetic (COMT Val158Met) factors.
  • The impact of family environment on EF is moderated by specific genetic predispositions.
  • These findings offer novel insights into the developmental pathways of cognitive abilities in early childhood.

Keywords:
COMT Val158Met polymorphismexecutive functionfamily socioeconomic statusparent–child relationshippreschoolers

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