Nature Communications · 24 October 2026 · From issue 57
Education-related polygenic scores show different associations with youth mental health in parent-offspring trios
Small genetic scores for school success link to both acting-out and anxious behavior in kids.
José J. Morosoli, Elizabeth Orpwood et al.
Genes linked to doing well in school also connect to children's behavior problems. A study of 3,223 mother-father-child groups split these scores into two kinds. One kind was tied to thinking skills. The other was tied to traits like patience or focus. Both kinds showed links to acting-out behavior, such as hyperactivity, and to inner struggles, such as anxiety. The links were bigger for acting-out behavior than for anxiety or sadness.
The number of mother-father-child groups studied to find these genetic links.
One UK study of families, links only, not proof of cause.
Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 26 October 2026. Retraction record: none. DOI resolves at doi.org. Metadata record found (Nature Communications). Read the source
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