Last Modified

• March 20, 2019

Creator

• Liu, Hexuan
  • Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Sociology

Abstract

• This dissertation demonstrates how social theories and genomics can be integrated to improve our understanding of sociological issues. I conduct the following studies combining genomic data and conventional sociological measures. First, I investigate the interaction of social environment and genetic factors on delinquency and violence. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult (Add Health), I find that adverse social environments are associated with greater genetic risk of delinquency and violence, while favorable social environments are associated with smaller genetic risk of delinquency and violence. Second, I assess genetic and environmental contributions to socioeconomic stability and mobility over the life course. I examine genetic and environmental influences on socioeconomic achievement at different life stages, taking advantage of the genome-wide data in HRS. I provide evidence that both genetic and environment factors make significant contributions to stability and mobility of socioeconomic achievement over the life span. Third, I investigate genetic and environmental influences on educational attainment across generations. In this study, I conceptualize a model of multigenerational influences and test the model using educational measures from three generations in conjunction with genome-wide data in HRS. I find significant genetic correlations in educational attainment across three generations. This suggests genetic factors play an important role in stabilizing intergenerational educational attainment in the U.S. Also, I provide evidence that about half of parent’s genetic influence on children’s education can be ascribed to genetic transmission and the other half is medicated by parents’ own education.

Date of publication

• December 2016

Keyword

• Social research
• Social stratification
• Gene-environment interaction
• Delinquency

DOI

• https://doi.org/10.17615/bfy4-pj58

Resource type

• Dissertation

Rights statement

• In Copyright

Advisor

• Harris, Kathleen Mullan
• Guo, Guang
• Nielsen, Francois
• Yang, Claire
• Shanahan, Michael

Degree

• Doctor of Philosophy

Degree granting institution

• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School

Graduation year

• 2016

Language

• English

Parents:

This work has no parents.

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