We then extended the path models to include parenting as an additional pathway through which social genetic effects occur (see Figure 3) for a subset of individuals for whom parenting variable was available. In these extended path models, parental education polygenic score was specified as predicting offspring educational attainment directly and indirectly through parental educational attainment, income, and parental bonding, above and beyond the effect of offspring education polygenic score. Parental educational attainment and income were also specified to predict parenting, which in turn predicted offspring educational attainment. Offspring education polygenic score was also specified to predict parenting to account for evocative gene-environment correlation (rGE) processes. As noted, these analyses were only conducted with a subsample of participants for whom data on paternal and/or maternal bonding was available (n = 642, offspring age ranged 18–30, Mean = 22.63, SD = 9.75; 48% female).
