The present study’s preliminary finding of small genetically-influenced child effects on maltreatment is consistent with results suggesting that children’s genetics influence their environment in general (e.g. Plomin, 1995) and the parenting they ‘receive’ (e.g. Kendler & Baker, 2007) in particular. The results are inconsistent with those from a study of child-reported and parent-reported physical discipline of girls in the Virginia Twin Registry (Wade & Kendler, 2000), which found children’s genetics had a moderate effect. The suggestive evidence for small genetically-mediated child effects on physical maltreatment is more consistent with results from a parent-report study of British children of small to moderate effects for corporal punishment and none on physical maltreatment (Jaffee et al., 2004). However, the present study’s moderate C and T on maltreatment were smaller than the British study’s substantial C for both corporal punishment and physical maltreatment. These differing results may reflect differences in assessment method (i.e., self reports in the present study and maternal report in the British study), and are consistent with the literature suggesting that correlations for parenting of children in the same family are
