Influence of genetic factors and institutional environment on entrepreneurial activity: evidence from a twin study in Italy

Abstract Genetic factors influence entrepreneurial activity, but we know little about how genetic factors influence entrepreneurial activity when the institutional environment is favorable. Two theories from behavioral genetics explain the gene–environment interaction. One theory argues that a favorable environment favors the development of genetic factors and their influence. An alternative theory posits that unfavorable environment triggers the development of genetic factors and their influence. I test these two competing theories with a twin study based in Italy. I compare the influence of genetic factors in provinces where the institutional environment favors entrepreneurial activity with provinces where the institutional environment is unfavorable to entrepreneurial activity. I found consistent evidence that genetic factors exert a larger influence in favorable institutional environments, suggesting that favorable institutional environments complement genetic factors.

Poster #155 CHILD MALTREATMENT, COMT VARIABILITY AND ADULT COGNITION: GENE-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION USING A TWIN STUDY

Schizophrenia Research ◽

10.1016/s0920-9964(12)70469-3 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 136 ◽

pp. S147

Author(s):

Ximena Goldberg ◽

Mar Fatjó-Vilas ◽

Silvia Alemany ◽

Aldo Córdova ◽

Igor Nenadic ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Child Maltreatment ◽

Twin Study ◽

Environment Interaction ◽

Gene Environment ◽

Adult Cognition

Shorter Adult Stature Increases the Impact of Risk Factors for Cognitive Impairment: A Comparison of Two Nordic Twin Cohorts

Twin Research and Human Genetics ◽

10.1375/twin.14.6.544 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 14 (6) ◽

pp. 544-552 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Venla S. Laitala ◽

Jacob Hjelmborg ◽

Markku Koskenvuo ◽

Ismo Räihä ◽

Juha O. Rinne ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Genetic Factors ◽

Childhood Adversity ◽

Environment Interaction ◽

Gene Environment ◽

The Impact ◽

Adult Stature

We analyzed the association between mean height and old age cognition in two Nordic twin cohorts with different childhood living conditions. The cognitive performance of 4720 twin individuals from Denmark (mean age 81.6 years, SD = 4.59) and Finland (mean age 74.4 years, SD = 5.26) was measured using validated cognitive screens. Taller height was associated with better cognitive performance in Finland (β-estimates 0.18 SD/10cm, p value < .001, for men and 0.13 SD, p = .008, for women), but this association was not significant in Denmark (β-estimates 0.0093 SD, p value = .16, for men and 0.0075 SD, p value = .016, for women) when adjusted for age and education/social class. Among Finnish participants higher variability of cognitive performance within shorter height quintiles was observed. Analysis using gene-environment interaction models showed that environmental factors exerted a greater impact on cognitive performance in shorter participants, whereas in taller participants' it was explained mainly by genetic factors. Our results suggest that shorter participants with childhood adversity are more vulnerable to environmental risk factors for cognitive impairment.

Gene–environment interaction on cognition: A twin study of childhood maltreatment and COMT variability

Journal of Psychiatric Research ◽

10.1016/j.jpsychires.2013.02.002 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 47 (7) ◽

pp. 989-994 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Ximena Goldberg ◽

Mar Fatjó-Vilas ◽

Silvia Alemany ◽

Igor Nenadic ◽

Cristobal Gastó ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Childhood Maltreatment ◽

Twin Study ◽

Environment Interaction ◽

Genetic moderation of environmental risk for depression and anxiety in adolescent girls

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.179.2.116 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 179 (2) ◽

pp. 116-121 ◽

Cited By ~ 188

Author(s):

Judy Silberg ◽

Michael Rutter ◽

Michael Neale ◽

Lindon Eaves

Keyword(s):

Life Events ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Genetic Factors ◽

Negative Life Events ◽

Genetic Effect ◽

Environment Interaction ◽

Gene Environment ◽

Significant Gene ◽

Independent Life

BackgroundThere is huge individual variation in people's response to negative life events.AimsTo test the hypothesis that genetic factors moderate susceptibility to the environmentally mediated risks associated with negative life events.MethodThe Virginia Twin Study of Adolescent Behavioral Development (VTSABD) was used to study the effects of independent life events (assessed from maternal interview) on depression/anxiety (assessed from child interview) in 184 same-gender female twin pairs, aged 14–17 years, measured on two occasions.ResultsThere was no genetic effect on the independent negative life events studied. A significant gene–environment interaction was found using structural equation modelling. There was no effect of independent life events on adolescents' depression in the absence of parental emotional disorder, but a significant effect in its presence.ConclusionsThere is an environmentally mediated effect of life events on depression/anxiety. Genetic factors play a significant role in individual differences in susceptibility to these environmentally mediated risks.

Gene-environment interaction in atopic diseases: a population-based twin study of early-life exposures

The Clinical Respiratory Journal ◽

10.1111/crj.12110 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 79-86 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Niklas Kahr ◽

Vibeke Naeser ◽

Lone Graff Stensballe ◽

Kirsten Ohm Kyvik ◽

Axel Skytthe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Twin Study ◽

Early Life ◽

Population Based ◽

Environment Interaction ◽

Atopic Diseases ◽

Gene Environment ◽

Early Life Exposures

A twin study of gene-environment interaction in generalized anxiety disorder

Psychiatric Genetics ◽

10.1097/00041444-199623000-00057 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 155

Author(s):

F. A. OʼNeill ◽

K. S. Kendler

Keyword(s):

Anxiety Disorder ◽

Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽

Twin Study ◽

Generalized Anxiety ◽

Environment Interaction ◽

Faculty Opinions recommendation of Gene-environment interaction study for BMI reveals interactions between genetic factors and physical activity, alcohol consumption and socioeconomic status.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.730774144.793537491 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Greg Gibson

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Genetic Factors ◽

Environment Interaction ◽

Interaction Study ◽

Genetics and Gene–Environment Interaction

10.1093/med/9780190457136.003.0017 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Torsten Klengel ◽

Lauren A. M. Lebois ◽

Sheila Gaynor ◽

Guia Guffanti

Keyword(s):

Genetic Factors ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Interindividual Variability ◽

Traumatic Event ◽

Environment Interaction ◽

Gene Environment ◽

Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽

Open Question ◽

Exposure To Trauma

Trauma and stress-related disorders make an excellent case for gene-environment interactions because although exposure to trauma and stress is a well-established risk factors toward their development, such factors alone are not sufficient to explain etiopathogenesis. Exposure to traumatic events is a prerequisite of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis, but the majority of individuals who are exposed to even a severe traumatic event do not develop PTSD. Why some individuals are vulnerable and others are resilient remains an open question. While genetic factors may play a significant role, it is conceivable that the complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors contribute to the observed interindividual variability.

Behavior Genetic Approaches for Situation Research

The Oxford Handbook of Psychological Situations ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190263348.013.35 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 24-39

Author(s):

Daniel A. Briley

Keyword(s):

Environmental Variables ◽

Behavior Genetics ◽

Behavioral Genetics ◽

Situational Factors ◽

Environment Interaction ◽

Selection Effects ◽

Personality Psychology ◽

Gene Environment ◽

History Of

As a field, behavior genetics has a long and often underappreciated focus on environmental and situational factors. This chapter describes the methodological details and empirical findings of this line of work, as well as what situation research can gain from behavior genetics and vice versa. Genetically informative designs offer tools to quantify the extent to which people actively create their situational experiences as opposed to randomly encountering them, and novel advances in situation research have the potential to clarify the scattered history of environmental variables in behavioral genetics. Current progress in personality psychology will be highlighted. Parallels between behavior genetics and personality work can be found both in terms of mechanisms (e.g., gene-environment correlation and gene × environment interaction contrasting with selection effects and person × situation effects) and explanatory pitfalls. Researchers interested in delineating the pathways from situations to behavior would do well to draw from and build upon work in behavior genetics.