scholarly journals Birth Order Differences in Education Are Environmental in Origin

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Arstad Isungset ◽  
Jeremy Freese ◽  
Ole Andreassen ◽  
Torkild Hovde Lyngstad
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Birth Order ◽  
Educational Outcomes ◽  
In Utero ◽  
Genetic Differences ◽  
Polygenic Scores ◽  
Genotype Information ◽  
Two Generations ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Parental Educational Attainment

Siblings share many environments and much of their genetics. Yet, siblings turn out different. Intelligence and education are influenced by birth order, where earlier-born outperform later-born. We investigate whether birth order differences in education are caused by genetic differences. Using data that spans two generations, combining registry, survey, and genotype information, this study is based on the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). We show that there are no genetic differences by birth order as captured by polygenic scores (PGSs) for educational attainment. Furthermore, we show that earlier-born have lower birth weight than later-born, indicating worse in utero environments. Educational outcomes are higher for earlier-born children when we control for PGSs and in utero variables. Finally, we consider environmental influences, such as maternal age, parental educational attainment, and sibling genetic nurture. We show that birth order differences are not genetic in origin, but their environmental cause remains elusive.

scholarly journals Parental Educational Attainment and Social Environment of Urban Public Schools in the U.S.: Blacks’ Diminished Returns

Children ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanika Boyce ◽  
Mohsen Bazargan ◽  
Cleopatra H. Caldwell ◽  
Marc A. Zimmerman ◽  
Shervin Assari
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Environmental Risk ◽  
Educational Outcomes ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Urban Public Schools ◽  
Social Environmental ◽  
Parental Educational Attainment ◽  
Hispanic White ◽  
White Youths

Background: Recent research has documented marginalization-related diminished returns (MDRs) of socioeconomic status (SES), defined as weaker effects of SES indicators, such as parental educational attainment, on securing tangible outcomes for the members of socially marginalized (e.g., racial and ethnic minority) groups, compared to privileged social groups (e.g., non-Hispanic Whites). Aims: To explore race/ethnic differences between non-Hispanic Blacks vs. non-Hispanic Whites who attend urban public schools on the effect of parental education on lower school environmental risk among American high schoolers. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, we borrowed the Education Longitudinal Study (ELS-2002) baseline data, a nationally representative study that enrolled 1706 10th grade youths who were attending urban public schools. From this number, 805 (47.2%) were non-Hispanic Black and 901 (52.8%) were non-Hispanic White youths. The dependent variable was the level of school social environmental risk measured using 18 items as self-reported, and was treated as a continuous variable. The independent variable was parental educational attainment, treated as a continuous measure. Gender, region, and parental marital status were the covariates. Race/ethnicity was the moderating variable. Linear regressions were applied to perform our data analysis. Results: Black students were found to attend schools with higher levels of social environmental risk. Youths with parents with a higher educational attainment were found to attend schools with a lower social environmental risk. We found a significant interaction between race (non-Hispanic Black vs. non-Hispanic White) and parental educational attainment on the level of school social environmental risk, suggesting that the protective effect of high parental education on reducing the school social environmental risk was smaller for non-Hispanic Black than for non-Hispanic White youths. Conclusions: Although high parental educational attainment is protective against social environmental risk for American youths, this protective effect is weaker for non-Hispanic Black than non-Hispanic White youths. The diminished returns of parental education in reducing school social environmental risk may explain why the effects of parental education on educational outcomes are smaller for non-Hispanic Black than non-Hispanic White youths (i.e., MDRs). The social environment indirectly generates racial youth educational disparities through deteriorating non-Hispanic Black youth educational outcomes across all SES levels. To prevent the confounding effects of private, suburban, rural, and Catholic schools, we limited this analysis to public urban schools. More research is needed on other settings.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in School Discipline: The Interactive Effects of Gender and Parental Educational Attainment

2021 ◽  
pp. 001112872110298
Author(s):  
Peter S. Lehmann ◽  
Andia M. Azimi ◽  
Kiarra Fortney ◽  
Kayla Alaniz
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Minority Students ◽  
Ethnic Disparities ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Office Referrals ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
Monitoring The Future ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Parental Educational Attainment ◽  
Racial Ethnic

Prior research has provided consistent evidence that minority students are more likely than White youth to experience punitive forms of discipline in schools. Scholars have theorized that these disadvantages are closely connected to gender and socioeconomic status, but little research has explored how these factors independently and jointly might moderate the effects of race/ethnicity. Using data from the 2012 to 2018 8th and 10th grade cohorts of the Monitoring the Future survey ( N = 53,986), these analyses find that minority students are more likely than Whites to experience suspension/expulsion and office referrals, and this pattern is especially prominent among females. Further, racial/ethnic disparities are amplified for youth whose parents have higher levels of educational attainment, though some differences by gender also emerge.

scholarly journals Common health conditions in childhood and adolescence, school absence, and educational attainment: Mendelian randomization study

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Hughes ◽  
Kaitlin H. Wade ◽  
Matt Dickson ◽  
Frances Rice ◽  
Alisha Davies ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Educational Outcomes ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Genetic Liability ◽  
School Absence ◽  
Polygenic Scores

AbstractGood health is positively related to children’s educational outcomes, but relationships may not be causal. Demonstrating a causal influence would strongly support childhood and adolescent health as important for education policy. We applied genetic causal inference methods to assess the causal relationship of common health conditions at age 10 (primary/elementary school) and 13 (mid-secondary/mid-high school) with educational attainment at 16 and school absence at 14–16. Participants were 6113 children from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Exposures were symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), depression, asthma, migraines and BMI. Genetic liability for these conditions and BMI was indexed by polygenic scores. In non-genetic, multivariate-adjusted models, all health conditions except asthma and migraines were associated with poorer attainment and greater school absence. School absence substantially mediated effects of BMI (39.9% for BMI at 13) and migraines (72.0% at 10), on attainment with more modest mediation for emotional and neurodevelopmental conditions. In genetic models, a unit increase in standardized BMI at 10 predicted a 0.19 S.D. decrease (95% CI: 0.11, 0.28) in attainment at 16, equivalent to around a 1/3 grade lower in all subjects, and 8.7% more school absence (95% CI:1.8%,16.1%). Associations were similar at 13. Genetic liability for ADHD predicted lower attainment but not more absence. Triangulation across multiple approaches supports a causal, negative influence on educational outcomes of BMI and ADHD, but not of ASD, depression, asthma or migraine. Higher BMI in childhood and adolescence may causally impair educational outcomes.

Evidence for recent polygenic selection on educational attainment and intelligence inferred from GWAS hits: a replication of previous findings using recent data.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide Piffer
Keyword(s):  
Monte Carlo ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Spatial Autocorrelation ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Random Noise ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Polygenic Scores ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Polygenic Selection

The genetic variants identified by three large genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of educational attainment and the largest intelligence GWAS were used to test a polygenic selection model.Weighted and unweighted polygenic scores (PGS) were calculated and compared across populations (N=26) using data from the 1000 Genomes and HGDP-CEPH datasets. A set of 9 SNPs within genomic regions replicated across GWAS publications and a polygenic score calculated from the largest GWAS of educational attainment to date are highly correlated to a previously published factor (r= 0.96). These factors are both highly predictive of average population IQ (r=0.9), and are robust to tests of spatial autocorrelation. Monte Carlo simulations yielded highly significant p values. A subset of SNPs were found in the HGDP-CEPH sample (N= 127). The analysis of this sample yielded a positive correlation with latitude and a low negative correlation with distance from East Africa.This study provides robust results after accounting for spatial autocorrelation with Fst distances and random noise via an empirical Monte Carlo simulation using null SNPs and shows robust reproducibility of results from a previous study.

scholarly journals Evidence for Recent Polygenic Selection on Educational Attainment and Intelligence Inferred from GWAS Hits: A Replication of Previous Findings Using Recent Data

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide Piffer
Keyword(s):  
Monte Carlo ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Spatial Autocorrelation ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Selection Model ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Polygenic Scores ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Polygenic Selection

Background: The genetic variants identified by three large genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of educational attainment and the largest intelligence GWAS were used to test a polygenic selection model. Methods: Average frequencies of alleles with positive effect (polygenic scores or PS) were compared across populations (N=26) using data from 1000 Genomes. Factor analysis was used to extract a signal of polygenic selection. Results: A polygenic selection factor of educational attainment GWAS hits is high among a handful of SNPs within genomic regions replicated across GWAS publications and it is highly correlated to the genetic intelligence factor (r= 0.96). These factors are both highly predictive of average population IQ (r=0.9), and are robust to tests of spatial autocorrelation. Several Monte Carlo simulations yielded highly significant p values. Furthermore, the polygenic selection model shows high replicability, with the EA and intelligence factor scores being virtually identical to those from an older study (r=0.96-0.99). A larger sample of populations (N=53) produced similar results. Conclusion: This study shows robust results after accounting for spatial autocorrelation and Monte Carlo simulation using random SNPs and shows robust reproducibility of results from a previous study.

scholarly journals Can We Detect Polygenic Selection on Cognitive Ability Using GWAS Hits? Employing Random SNPs as a Null Model.

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide Piffer
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Spatial Autocorrelation ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Null Model ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Polygenic Scores ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Genomic Regions ◽  
Polygenic Selection

Background: The genetic variants identified by three large genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of educational attainment were used to test a polygenic selection model.ethods: Average frequencies of alleles with positive effect (polygenic scores or PS) were compared across populations (N=26) using data from 1000 Genomes. A null model was created using frequencies of random SNPs.Results: Polygenic selection signal of educational attainment GWAS hits is high among a handful of SNPs within genomic regions replicated across GWAS publications. A polygenic score comprising 9 SNPs predicts population IQ (r=0.9), outperforming 99.9% of the polygenic scores obtained from sets of random SNPs. Its predictive power remains unaffected after controlling for spatial autocorrelation. Even random polygenic scores are moderate predictors of population IQ (thanks to spatial autocorrelation), and their predictive power increases logarithmically with the number of SNPs, indicating an exponential reduction in noise. Conclusion: This study provides guidance for using GWAS hits together with random SNPs for testing polygenic selection.

scholarly journals Investigating the longitudinal consistency and genetic architecture of non-cognitive skills, and their relation to educational attainment

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim T Morris ◽  
George Davey Smith ◽  
Gerard van Den Berg ◽  
Neil M Davies
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Educational Outcomes ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Genetic Correlations ◽  
Cognitive Measures ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Signal Ratio ◽  
Socioeconomic Outcomes ◽  
Behavioural Difficulties ◽  
Using Data

AbstractNon-cognitive skills predict a range of socioeconomic outcomes including educational attainment and employment. Many studies have used cross sectional data and therefore the longitudinal consistency of non-cognitive skills are poorly understood. Using data from a UK cohort, we assess (1) the consistency of non-cognitive skills over a 17-year period throughout childhood, (2) their associations with educational outcomes, and (3) their genomic architecture. Consistency over time is high for behavioural and communication skills but low for others, implicating a high noise to signal ratio for many non-cognitive skills. Associations between non-cognitive skills and educational outcomes are observed for skills measured in mid to late childhood and are at most a third of the size of IQ-education associations. Consistent non-zero heritability estimates and genetic correlations with education are observed only for behavioural difficulties. Our results suggest caution in the use of non-cognitive measures as consistent indicators of underlying skills during early childhood.

Siblings and Illness

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leah Sawyer Vanderwerp
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Birth Order ◽  
Family Size ◽  
Multivariate Analyses ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Chronically Ill ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Mother And Child ◽  
Using Data

Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth-Mother and Child samples, I investigated the relationships among child and adolescent depressive symptoms, having a chronically ill sibling, and other child and familial demographic variables. From research on social support and social role transitions, with the Stress Process as a theoretical model, I hypothesized that children with chronically ill siblings experience more depressive symptoms. Specifically, I looked at age, gender, birth order and family size as potentially reducing the effect size of having a chronically ill sibling. Findings showed that having a chronically ill sibling is associated with demonstrating more depressive symptoms both in the bivariate and multivariate analyses. Although age, gender, birth order and family size do not interact significantly with having a chronically ill sibling in predicting depressive symptoms, they do present interesting findings about childhood depressive symptoms in general. Thus, the results of this study suggest specific and meaningful paths for future research.

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