Challenging assumptions about divorce
It’s long been claimed that children of divorce have more emotional and mental challenges than other kids, and that depression is a part of that. But a new study says that genes — not home life — are the primary predictor for depression. From MSNBC.com:
In fact, the study, published in the July issue of the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, found that the cause of the divorce and the depression might be the same: shared genes.
“This study suggests that the increased risk of emotional problems in the offspring of divorced parents is due to genetic risk shared by parents and their offspring,” says the study’s lead author, Brian D’Onofrio, an assistant professor of psychology at Indiana University. “This is contrary to what a lot of people have assumed in sociology and psychology.”
The same researcher found, however, that children of divorced parents are more likely to develop alcohol abuse problems and have behavioral problems in school.
Depression in kids of divorce blamed on genes
liz | 10:43 AM | Uncategorized
Right. I love that answer- that something is caused by their genes. That’s such a huge assumption (which gene? in which chromosome? by what mechanism?) Without being able to say how, researchers are willing to say something “must be in the genes” if they don’t see other associations that are “causative” factors. And there’s a lot of reasons that it is self-serving to blame a subpopulations woes on their own physical shortcomings (bad breeding?) rather than social ills.
The role of genes in our health is a lot more complex than people imagined it was (wanted it to be). And really, a genetic cause of divorce?! There could be a number of factors of genetic aetiology that contributes to divorce (such as difficult mental health problems impacting relationships), but that doesn’t make it a divorce gene.
A key issue I have with this research is that particularly because I am interested in the problems of the lower classes, then attributing problems to poor genes can turn into (to me) a loathsome interpretation oozing of a modern day eugenic thinking. I could go on, but I won’t.
Oh yeah, also I think you’re awesome by the way.
(That may not have carried thru in the prior post).
Reply: