Journal article
Using Polygenic Scores in Social Science Research: Unraveling Childlessness
University of Groningen1
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai2
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill3
University of Oxford4
University of Essex5
ENSAE ParisTech6
University of Utah7
T-Cells and Cancer, Experimental & Translational Immunology, Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark8
Bioinformatics, Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark9
Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark10
Northwestern University11
...and 1 moreBiological, genetic, and socio-demographic factors are all important in explaining reproductive behavior, yet these factors are typically studied in isolation. In this study, we explore an innovative sociogenomic approach, which entails including key socio-demographic (marriage, education, occupation, religion, cohort) and genetic factors related to both behavioral [age at first birth (AFB), number of children ever born (NEB)] and biological fecundity-related outcomes (endometriosis, age at menopause and menarche, polycystic ovary syndrome, azoospermia, testicular dysgenesis syndrome) to explain childlessness.
We examine the association of all sets of factors with childlessness as well as the interplay between them. We derive polygenic scores (PGS) from recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and apply these in the Health and Retirement Study (N = 10,686) and Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (N = 8,284).
Both socio-demographic and genetic factors were associated with childlessness. Whilst socio-demographic factors explain 19–46% in childlessness, the current PGS explains
| Language: | English |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| Year: | 2019 |
| Pages: | 74 |
| ISSN: | 22977775 |
| Types: | Journal article |
| DOI: | 10.3389/fsoc.2019.00074 |
