Family Process as Mediator of Biology X Environment Interaction

SUMMARY

The present study used Baron and Kenny's (1986) mediated moderation model to explore a potential mediator-parenting behaviors-of an interaction between biological risk and adoptive parent psychopathology which has been shown to significantly predict adolescent problem behaviors in a sample of adult adoptees (M_age = 25; n = 133). The outcomes of interest were retrospective reports on adoptee adolescent nonaggressive conduct disordered behaviors and aggressive/oppositional behaviors. Predictors were biological risk in the birth parents of the adoptees, psychopathology in the adoptive parents, and retrospectively reported parenting behaviors of the adoptive parents. The mediated moderation model was not supported due to the nonsignificance of the biological risk X adoptive parent psychopathology interaction term. However, support for an independence model was supported in that biological risk interacted with maternal warmth and overprotection to predict adolescent adoptee behavior. Greater maternal warmth decreased problem behaviors among adoptees with a biological risk for psychopathology; whereas greater maternal overprotection increased adolescent problem behaviors among adoptees with biological risk. Fathers' parenting behaviors did not interact with biological risk to predict adolescent adoptee behavior. Finally, the findings were consistent across type of behavior suggesting a homogenous effect.

Key Words:

• Biology-environment interaction
• externalizing behavior problems
• discipline