We first tested associations between parental EXT PGS and parents’ own externalizing behavior and aspects of parenting. Among EA participants, parental EXT PGS was associated with their own externalizing behavior. Higher parental EXT PGS also predicted lower parent-child closeness, providing evidence of gene-environment correlation. We next tested the associations between adolescent EXT PGS with parental externalizing behavior and aspects of parenting, adjusting for parental EXT PGS. Adolescent EXT PGS uniquely predicted parental externalizing behavior over and above the effect of parental EXT PGS, suggesting that the child’s genotype further influences externalizing behavior in the parent. Higher adolescent EXT PGS was also associated with poorer parent-child communication, lower parent-child closeness, and lower parental knowledge. There was no evidence of associations between parental EXT PGS and parenting measures after controlling for adolescent EXT PGS. These results provide evidence for evocative gene-environment correlation, whereby the child’s genotype influences parent-child relationship characteristics.
