Summary: A new report from University College London (UCL) shows that parents’ genetics can influence their children’s educational achievements and mental health even when those genes are not passed down. This indirect effect, known as “genetic nurture,” describes how parental genetic tendencies — such as valuing education or having strong non-cognitive skills — shape the home environment and, in turn, support child development.
The report finds the strongest indirect effects in early childhood and shows that much of this influence is tied to family socioeconomic status and parental education. The results underscore the potential impact of early-life interventions that support both parents and children to reduce educational and mental health disparities.
Key facts
- Genetic nurture: Parents’ non-inherited genetic tendencies can shape the environment they provide, indirectly affecting their children’s education and mental health.
- Early impact: Indirect genetic influences are most pronounced in early childhood, particularly through parental non-cognitive skills such as motivation, perseverance and emotional regulation.
- Socioeconomic link: Family resources and parental education account for a large portion of these indirect genetic effects, highlighting the role of socioeconomic inequalities.
Source: UCL
Parents’ genes — even when not directly inherited — may influence children’s educational and mental health outcomes, new UCL research suggests.
The report, Understanding the intergenerational transmission of educational (under)achievement, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, examined how parental genetics shape the environments in which children grow up — for example, through reading habits, parenting practices or access to learning resources. These environmental pathways driven by parental genetics are commonly called genetic nurture or indirect genetic effects.
The researchers synthesized evidence from 12 published studies covering 38,654 families across the UK, Australia, the Netherlands, Iceland and the United States, and conducted an original analysis using genetic data from 4,580 UK families. They used polygenic scores — a statistical summary of the combined influence of many genetic variants associated with traits such as educational attainment — to estimate both direct genetic transmission and indirect parental effects.
Parental polygenic scores for education were associated with children’s educational outcomes, including years of schooling and school grades, even after accounting for the genes actually inherited by the child. In practical terms, parents who have a stronger genetic propensity toward education may be more likely to engage in behaviors that promote learning, such as reading to their children or investing in educational resources; those behaviors benefit children regardless of whether the children inherited the same genetic variants.
The report also identified tentative links between non-inherited parental genes and child mental health traits. These included measures of hyperactivity and inattention, emotional symptoms, conduct difficulties, peer problems and prosocial behaviours such as helping, sharing and showing empathy.
Effects were strongest around age three and were particularly tied to parental predispositions for non-cognitive traits — motivation, perseverance, emotional regulation and self-control. This pattern suggests parents with stronger non-cognitive skills may be especially able to support their children during early development, a period when environmental influences can be highly consequential.
Importantly, when the researchers adjusted for family socioeconomic status and parental education, the magnitude of the indirect genetic effects fell by about 75%. In other words, much of the influence attributed to non-inherited parental genes appears to be explained by material resources, educational opportunities and other socioeconomic factors available to families.
The authors call for further research to unpack which specific resource-related disparities — for example, access to books, quality childcare or time available for parent–child interaction — drive intergenerational differences in attainment.
Co-investigator Dr José J. Morosoli (UCL Psychology & Language Sciences) said the findings show how genetics and environment are intertwined and warned that neglecting indirect genetic effects can lead to misleading conclusions. Principal investigator Professor Jean-Baptiste Pingault (UCL Psychology & Language Sciences) emphasised that the results reinforce the importance of consistent, developmentally appropriate support for children and families and align with calls for life-course approaches to mental health and development.
Study limitations
The report emphasises that genetic effects identified are small and not deterministic. They cannot be used to predict outcomes for individuals or to justify policy decisions on their own. The primary value of this research is in improving our understanding of how biological and social factors interact during development and guiding future studies that aim to identify actionable, resource-based drivers of educational underachievement.
About this genetics and neurodevelopment research news
Author: Poppy Tombs
Source: UCL
Contact: Poppy Tombs – UCL
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News