A construct of deep interest to prevention science – the idea that there may be a predisposition to environmental sensitivity (Belsky, 1997; Belsky, Bakermans-Kranenburg, & Van IJzendoorn, 2007; Belsky et al., 2009), which, if correct, would be important to include in prevention studies, is not the subject of current gene identification efforts. Genes that influence intervention response will not necessarily overlap with genes involved in disorder. If large numbers of prevention scientists came together to share their data on prevention outcomes, it could be possible to identify genes involved in prevention response. Assuming that genes involved in sensitivity to the environment would follow a similar pattern to genetic influence on other complex behavioral outcomes (e.g., a complex genetic architecture with many genes of small effect), finding these genes would necessitate extremely large sample sizes, unattainable by any single group, and the coming together of different prevention studies to form consortia, share data, and navigate authorship issues, in the way that geneticists have had to over the past decade. However, there is great potential for prevention scientists to make a significant contribution to understanding genetic influences on environmental response by pursuing a collaborative venture such as this.
