For many years, the controversial debate of nature versus nurture has permeated discussions about genetics, psychopathology, and various other fields. Are you destined to be a certain way because it ‘just runs in the family,’ or is your character simply a product of your environment and experiences?
While the assumption is that one must take precedence over the other, recent research has shed light on a fascinating concept called genetic nurture, which suggests that nature and nurture may go hand-in-hand in shaping human behavior and our mental well-being.
What is Genetic Nurture?
Within the study of genetics, the term gene-environment interaction is typically used to describe how genetic and environmental factors collaborate to influence gene expression (Hutter, n.d.). On the other hand, genetic nurture is a lesser-known term that specifically refers to how a parent’s genetic makeup can influence their children’s development and behavior through the environment in which they raise them. Such an interaction connects direct and indirect genetic effects, which reference an individual’s genetic composition and that of those involved in their rearing or social environment, respectively (Armstrong-Carter et al., 2020). In other words, an individual's genetic predisposition for a trait or behavior can be influenced by their upbringing, shaping how they respond to their environment and vice versa. For example, a parent with naturally-supportive personality traits can help mitigate a child’s genetic vulnerability to a certain emotional hurdle by fostering resilience through a nurturing environment, indirectly shaping their development.
Credit Where It’s Due: The Role of Genetic & Environmental Factors in Mental Health
While research has often favored studying one factor over the other, it is important to recognize some of the discoveries that have led and continue to lead to more comprehensive scientific inquiry that considers the interplay between both factors.
A 2013 study led by Dr. Jordan Smoller of Massachusetts General Hospital analyzed genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), a type of genetic variation that occurs when a single nucleotide at a specific position in your DNA sequence differs from that of most people and helps researchers to identify genetic contributors to a common disorder (Gunter, n.d.; “Common Genetic Factors Found in 5 Mental Disorders,” 2013). They found that 5 major mental disorders (autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia), which typically present similar symptoms, also significantly share some genetic factors (Smoller et al., 2013).
On the other side of the spectrum, Ludvig Daae Bjørndal, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Oslo, and colleagues recently explored how various environmental characteristics (e.g., social environment, housing satisfaction, and residential area characteristics) can impact population mental health, particularly symptoms of depression and anxiety (Bjørndal et al., 2023). Similar to previous research, supportive social relationships were strongly associated with higher well-being and reduced depressive and anxiety symptoms, while exposure to discrimination was linked to increased symptom levels and lower well-being (Bjørndal et al., 2023).
These findings not only underscore the individual influence of each factor on mental health but also encourage discourse on the complex interaction between environmental factors and individual genetic factors that contribute to the risk of psychopathological symptoms.
Teamwork Makes The Dream Work
Over time, the study of gene-environment interplay has become increasingly important in investigating the cause of mental conditions. Past research has shed light on two potential scenarios: (a) individuals may be more susceptible to developing a disorder in a stressful environment due to specific genetic variations, or (b) individuals with particular genetic variations may be prone to developing a disorder when exposed to certain environmental stressors (Wermter, 2010).
Genetic nurture, then, is a particular type of gene-environment interaction that can continue to highlight how pivotal rearing and social environments are for children’s development and behavior. A 2020 study found that genetic nurture can occur through the prenatal environment, with prenatal factors (e.g., health and socioeconomic status) swaying the relationship between maternal genetics and children’s development outcomes (e.g., school readiness and early academic performance) at the ages of 4 to 7. Specifically, 30% of the positive association between "maternal-education-associated" genetics and their child's early education development was explained indirectly by environmental factors, in addition to direct genetic transmission (Armstrong-Carter et al., 2020).
Additional research also supports the role of genetic nurture in depression. Parental genetic nurture was found to potentially account for 14% of depressive symptoms in 8-year-olds (Cheesman, 2020), while a 2023 study tentatively links genetic nurture to lifetime depression and neuroticism in adults (Tubbs & Sham, 2023), highlighting the dynamic interaction between our genetic traits and the environment in shaping our emotional well-being.
Though research on genetic nurture within mental health is quite preliminary, recent findings demand further exploration to uncover possible gene-environment pathways that may influence the development of certain behaviors and mental disorders.
Conclusion: The Future of Genetic Nurture
Through our growing exploration of genetic nurture and the potential implications of relevant research, we have opened a window into understanding the complex nature of mental health.
However, one significant avenue that calls for further investigation is the potential role of cross-culturalism in influencing the effects of genetic nurture in particular populations. By assessing how different cultural factors influence various aspects of one’s upbringing (e.g., parenting style, household composition, values, etc.), cultural competence—the ability of professionals and organizations to effectively provide quality services and information that meet the socio-cultural needs of diverse individuals—can be further integrated into genetic research (“Cultural Competence in Health Care,” n.d.). Ensuring diverse representation in research will help us to better understand the universality and specificity of genetic nurture across different communities, leading to more tailored mental-health interventions and support systems.
In unlocking the full potential of genetic nurture, we can someday hope to foster a healthier and happier society as a whole.
References
Hutter, C.M. (n.d.). Gene-Environment Interaction. National Human Genome Research Institute, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved July 24, 2023, from https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Gene-Environment-Interaction
Armstrong-Carter, E., Trejo, S., Hill, L. J. B., Crossley, K. L., Mason, D., & Domingue, B. W. (2020). The Earliest Origins of Genetic Nurture: The Prenatal Environment Mediates the Association Between Maternal Genetics and Child Development. Psychological Science, 31(7), 781–791. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797620917209
Tubbs, J. D., & Sham, P. C. (2023). Preliminary Evidence for Genetic Nurture in Depression and Neuroticism Through Polygenic Scores. JAMA psychiatry, e231544. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.1544
Gunter, C. (n.d.) Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms. National Human Genome Research Institute, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved July 24, 2023, from https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Single-Nucleotide-Polymorphisms.
Common Genetic Factors Found in 5 Mental Disorders. NIH Research Matters. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/common-genetic-factors-found-5-mental-disorder. Published 18 March 2013; Retrieved 19 July 2023.
Cross-Disorder Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (2013). Identification of risk loci with shared effects on five major psychiatric disorders: a genome-wide analysis. Lancet (London, England), 381(9875), 1371–1379. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(12)62129-1
Bjørndal, L. D., Ebrahimi, O. V., Lan, X., Nes, R. B., & Røysamb, E. (2023). Mental health and environmental factors in adults: A population-based network analysis. The American psychologist, 10.1037/amp0001208. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001208
Wermter, A. K., Laucht, M., Schimmelmann, B. G., Banaschewski, T., Sonuga-Barke, E. J., Rietschel, M., & Becker, K. (2010). From nature versus nurture, via nature and nurture, to gene x environment interaction in mental disorders. European child & adolescent psychiatry, 19(3), 199–210. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-009-0082-z
Cheesman, R., Eilertsen, E.M., Ahmadzadeh, Y.I. et al. (2020). How important are parents in the development of child anxiety and depression? A genomic analysis of parent-offspring trios in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). BMC Med 18, 284. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-020-01760-1
Cultural Competence in Health Care: Is it important for people with chronic conditions? (n.d.) Georgetown University Health Policy Institute. Retrieved July 31, 2023, from https://hpi.georgetown.edu/cultural/.