In summary, we integrated across distinct literatures on intergenerational continuity in externalizing behavior and latent gene-environment interaction to test hypotheses about the role of individual genotypic differences in altering the parental externalizing→life events→adolescent externalizing pathway. We found that the strength of the pathway from life events to adolescent externalizing varies as a function of GABRA2 genotype. The positive association between life events and externalizing behavior was more robust for those homozygous for the major allele compared to those heterozygous or homozygous for the minor allele, with trends indicating a parallel effect in a second sample. Extending this work to racially/ethnically diverse samples and accounting for intergenerational GABRA2 genotype represent important avenues for future research in this area.
