12th Annual IGSS Conference • October 28-29, 2021

Integrating Genetics and the Social Sciences 2021

An Unrevealed Collateral Consequence: The Suppressing Effect of Paternal Incarceration on Children's Genetic Potential for Educational Attainment

Breanna Clark, University of Cincinnati

Based on gene-environment interaction (G × E) models, we hypothesize that exposure to paternal incarceration may suppress the realization of children's genetic potential for educational attainment. To test this hypothesis, we conduct a polygenic score analysis using data from non- Hispanic white participants in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. We find that the association between the education polygenic score and observed educational attainment at Wave 5 is significantly weakened among participants whose father has been incarcerated. We further show that the suppressing effect of paternal incarceration on children's genetic association with educational attainment is stronger for those who experienced paternal incarceration in childhood than for those who experienced paternal incarceration later in life. There is no significant evidence that the suppressing effect varies with paternal incarceration frequency. We discuss implications of these findings in light of sociological theories as well as socio-genomic research.

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