Gendering Genetics: Biological Contingencies in the Protective Effects of Social Integration for Men and Women

• Published in: The American journal of sociology 2016-05, Vol.121 (6), p.1655-1696
• Main Author: Perry, Brea L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alcoholism; Alcoholism - epidemiology; Alcoholism - genetics; Comorbidity; Cooperation; Cost benefit analysis; Cues; Data collection; Drug addiction; Dualism; Emotional Response; Emotions; Female; Females; Feminism; Gender differences; Gender differentiation; Genetic Predisposition to Disease - epidemiology; Genetic Predisposition to Disease - etiology; Genetics; Health; Health behavior; Humans; Interaction; Male; Males; Marital Status; Mental health; Nicotine; Predictions; Psychological Patterns; Risk; Risk Factors; Sex differences; Sex Factors; Sexes; Social Environment; Social integration; Social psychology; Social response; Social systems; Stress; Stress response; Tobacco Use Disorder - epidemiology; Tobacco Use Disorder - genetics; United States - epidemiology; Women
• ISSN: 0002-9602; 1537-5390
• DOI: 10.1086/685486

Evidence that social and biological processes are intertwined in producing health and human behavior is rapidly accumulating. Using a feminist approach, this research explores how gender moderates the interaction between biological processes and men’s and women’s behavioral and emotional responses to similar social environments. Using data from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism, the influence of gender, social integration, and genetic risk on nicotine and alcohol dependence is examined. Three-way interaction models reveal gender-specific moderation of interactions between genetic risk score and social integration. Namely, being currently married and reporting positive social psychological integration are predictive of reduced risk of nicotine dependence among men with genetic susceptibility to strong nicotine cravings in the presence of social cues like stress. In contrast, the protective effects of marital status and social integration are substantially attenuated and absent, respectively, among womenwith high-risk genotypes. This pattern reflects the dualism (i.e., simultaneous costs and benefits) inherent in social integration for women, which may disproportionately affect those with a genetic sensitivity to stress. These findings contest the notion of genotype as static biological hardwiring that is independent from social and cultural systems of gender difference.