Abstract:
Objective: Test if decision-making moderates the relationship between MAOA gene variant and aggression/conduct problems and if low/high MAOA and negative parenting will moderate decision-making and aggression/conduct problems. Method: Study used archival baseline data from a population of at-risk children. Measures include the buccal swab, the Iowa Gambling Task, the Teacher Report of Proactive and Reactive Aggression, the Behavior Assessment System for Children, and the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire. Analyses: Base models will test if MAOA variants, decision-making, and negative parenting impacts reactive aggression/conduct problems, and if the interactions between MAOA gene variants x decision-making and negative parenting x decision-making impacts reactive aggression/conduct problems. Moderation models will test if MAOA gene variants and negative parenting impacts decision-making, and if the interaction between MAOA gene variants x negative parenting behaviors impacts decision-making. Results: There was a significant moderation between MAOA gene variants and ADM when predicting to reactive aggression as well as a significant moderation between MAOA gene variants and ADM when predicting to conduct problems. Discussion: The moderation effect between affective decision-making and MAOA gene variants predicting to reactive aggression and the moderation effect between low affective decision-making and MAOA gene variants predicting to conduct problems, demonstrates that the higher MAOA allele can act as a protective factor. However, a different relationship exists between high affective decision-making and MAOA gene variants when predicting to conduct problems. In this moderation, higher affective decision-making can act as a protective factor against the risks associated with having the lower MAOA variant, but children with the higher MAOA variant engage in more conduct problem behavior. The study utilized a sample of aggressive and conduct problem youth, and these children may be more effective at using conduct problem behaviors to achieve their goals, even though they have the affective decision-making abilities to understand the differences between reward and punishment.
