# The role of environmental disadvantage in the etiologic moderation of children's antisocial behavior

> **NIH NIH F31** · MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $37,395

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Disadvantaged contexts come in myriad forms and robustly predict both aggressive and rule-breaking
antisocial behavior1,2. These predictions go beyond simple phenotypic associations, with multiple studies now
indicating that the respective magnitudes of genetic and environmental influences on antisocial behavior also
vary as a function of neighborhood disadvantage, such that genetic influences are most strongly expressed in
‘average, expectable environments’ and stymied in the context of poverty3-5. Although important, prior
genotype-environment interaction (GxE) research has been limited by its sole focus on neighborhood
indicators, which is only one of several forms of disadvantage that children can experience. It is thus unclear
whether other, correlated forms of disadvantage, including familial (e.g., income), school (e.g., subsidized
lunch rate), and chemical (e.g., neurotoxicant exposure) disadvantage, also serve as etiologic moderators of
antisocial behavior. Additionally, because no GxE study to date has jointly examined multiple indicators of
disadvantage, it is unknown whether they increment one another’s effects or whether one form of disadvantage
serves as a primary ‘active ingredient’ in extant GxE. The goal of the proposed study is to fill these gaps in the
literature by examining multiple forms of disadvantage as etiologic moderators of aggressive and non-
aggressive antisocial behavior, respectively. I will use data from a sample of more than 1,000 twin pairs
enriched for disadvantage to carry out the following aims: (1) evaluate whether prior findings for neighborhood
disadvantage also extend to three other key forms of disadvantage: familial, school, and chemical, and (2)
evaluate whether the various forms of disadvantage synergistically moderate the etiology of antisocial
behavior. The proposed analyses will include both the classical twin biometric GxE model and a GxE version of
the nuclear twin family design, the latter of which allows for far stronger causal inferences by controlling for
additional confounds6. In this way, I will be able to illuminate the ‘active ingredients’ of disadvantage for GxE in
antisocial behavior for the very first time.
By addressing these aims, I will continue to develop a line of research dedicated to understanding how chronic
disadvantage alters developmental outcomes. To further prepare for an academic career conducting GxE
research, I am seeking additional training to: (1) gain expertise in the measurement and conceptualization of
disadvantage as a multifaceted construct, (2) advance my understanding of genetically informative statistical
methods, and (3) develop my manuscript and grant-writing skills. This training will meaningfully contribute to
my development as an independent researcher focused on understanding the effects of disadvantage on
mental health outcomes, both independently and in conjunction with individuals’ genetic predispositions.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9990240
- **Project number:** 1F31HD102094-01
- **Recipient organization:** MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Sarah Lynn Carroll
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $37,395
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-05-05 → 2023-05-04

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9990240

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9990240, The role of environmental disadvantage in the etiologic moderation of children's antisocial behavior (1F31HD102094-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9990240. Licensed CC0.

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