A new study by the University of Oslo and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, published in Nature Mental Health, reveals that the development of anxiety and depression in children is influenced not only by biological inheritance but also by the indirect impact of parental genes.
According to scientists, parental genetics affect the child through a mechanism known as “genetic nurture.” This means that even the parental genes not inherited by the child still shape the environment in which they grow up.
For instance, a parent’s genetic predisposition to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), vulnerability to stress, or addictive behaviors influences their own conduct and parenting style. Consequently, the family environment formed by parental genetics becomes an additional factor that increases or decreases the risk of anxiety disorders in the child, regardless of whether these specific genes were biologically transmitted.
The analysis of data from over 9,300 families also identified age-specific dynamics:
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At age 8: Environmental factors conditioned by parental genetics play a more significant role in the child’s mental state.
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At age 14: During adolescence, the child’s own genetic predispositions move to the forefront.
Furthermore, the risk is influenced not only by a parent’s tendency toward anxiety but also by other traits, such as the father’s overall well-being or the mother’s cognitive abilities. These findings confirm that adolescent mental health is the result of a complex, interconnected process between genetics and environment, where the parental genome acts simultaneously as the architect of both biological and environmental conditions.
