Gene-Environment Interactions and Child Development

Children’s developmental outcomes are shaped by complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors, as well as the role of context. In this study, we examined the additive and interactive roles of home and daycare chaos on children’s social-emotional and cognitive development as well as their diurnal cortisol rhythm both at home and daycare. The participants were 348 mother-child dyads from 3 municipality daycare centers across Istanbul. We further collected genetic samples from mothers and children to investigate the influence of genetic factors as moderators in these relationships. The project was conducted as a collaboration between Drs. Elif Aysimi Duman and Feyza Corapci and funded by Bogazici University Research Foundation.