Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2018, Human Development and Family Science

Children's social-emotional development is important for the quality of one's life. Based on the bioecological theory and family process model, this dissertation aims to understand the mechanisms underlying parenting and children's social-emotional development, focusing on gene and environment interplay using serotonin genes. Grounded on the literature review in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 investigated whether children with sensitive genes were more likely to show social competence if they experienced positive relationships in an earlier period. The results showed that children with sensitive alleles on 5-HTTLPR or STin2 were likely to show greater social competence if they were securely attached to mothers. Chapter 3 tested mediated and moderated paths from mothers' and children's genes to child behavior problems via child temperament and mothers' negative parenting behaviors. Based on the conceptual framework about gene and environment interplay, I tested gene and environment correlations (passive, active, and evocative) and interaction. The results showed that mothers' sensitive allele(s) on TPH2 rs4570625 inherited to their children and children with sensitive allele(s) were more likely to show anxious and withdrawn behavior problems via mothers' psychological aggression (passive rGE). Children with sensitive allele(s) on 5-HTTLPR were likely to show difficult temperament in infancy and anxious behavior problems after entering schools (active rGE). Children with sensitive allele(s) on 5-HTTLPR were also likely to receive mothers' negative parenting behaviors and to experience more internalizing behavior problems. However, sequential mediation paths supporting evocative rGE were not statistically significant, and there was no significant moderation (G x E) found. After I examined the association between children's genes and their social-emotional behaviors in Chapters 2 and 3, I investigated the association among mothers' genes, fathers' support, and mothers' parenting (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan (Advisor) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences