Gaia Ghirardi
@gaiaghirardi.bsky.social
1.3K followers 580 following 68 posts
Sociologist for children and social equality. Postdoc at University of Bologna (GENPOP) & previously PhD at the EUI. https://gaiaghirardi.github.io
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gaiaghirardi.bsky.social
New paper with @fabriberna.bsky.social - part of my PhD thesis!

Why are the negative educational consequences of parental separation stronger among high-SES children?

→ When high-SES parents separate, they lose their ability to compensate for their child’s low genetic propensity for education 🧬👪
readdemography.bsky.social
“SES, Genes & Differential Effects of Parental Separation on Educational Attainment”: @fabriberna.bsky.social & @gaiaghirardi.bsky.social find the largest penalty for “high-SES students whose parents separate is…among those w/ a low PGI EA.” @eui-eu.bsky.social read.dukeupress.edu/demography/a...
gaiaghirardi.bsky.social
Pure speculation, but maybe the trauma of the false-positive candidate gene papers made us more likely to publish null GxE results using polygenic scores. But I might just be imagining it 😊
gaiaghirardi.bsky.social
😅

Btw @astabreinholt.bsky.social and I are doing a meta-analysis on GxSES studies on edu outcomes assessing publication bias and so on - but it’s still in progress 😊
Reposted by Gaia Ghirardi
ferraraale.bsky.social
Immigrants typically arrive in good health but experience fast health declines. Is the same true for Asylum Seekers though?

Check out my latest publication on PDR: doi.org/10.1111/padr...

Short answer: yes for (self-reported) physical health, but the opposite is true for mental health!
Reposted by Gaia Ghirardi
fabriberna.bsky.social
In many journals associate editors play an important role in the review process but their names don’t appear in communications with authors. At Europ Soc Rev, when we reject a paper the letter is signed by both EiC and AE. In others only the EiC signs. Having the AE in the letter adds transparency
gaiaghirardi.bsky.social
This is the last paper of my PhD thesis (🥹) and I want to thank those who provided feedback on this final chapter, among them: @fabriberna.bsky.social, @marcocozzani.bsky.social, @melindacmills.bsky.social, @nicolabarban.bsky.social, @juhoharkonen.bsky.social, and the SSM editors and reviewers 🙏🏼
5/5
gaiaghirardi.bsky.social
Contributing to research on health inequalities and sociogenomics, I find:


1) PGI BMI is more predictive of high levels of BMI among individuals from *low-SES families*
2) This pattern is weakened over the life course but *persists* among individuals with high BMI levels

4/5
gaiaghirardi.bsky.social
This work tests the expectation from the compensatory advantage and diathesis-stress theories by using the Add Health data. Specifically, it assesses whether the association between a PGI BMI and BMI at different life stages (ages 16, 22, 28, and 37) is shaped by family socioeconomic status.

3/5
gaiaghirardi.bsky.social
I study the genotype-family SES interaction on obesity and overweight across the life-course. 



I ask whether the genetic propensity for high BMI matters more in explaining overweight and obesity among individuals from low or high-SES families? And if so, does this interaction vary by age?

2/5
gaiaghirardi.bsky.social
This work tests the expectation from the compensatory advantage and diathesis-stress theories by using the Add Health data. Specifically, it assesses whether the association between a PGI BMI and BMI at different life stages (ages 16, 22, 28, and 37) is shaped by family socioeconomic status.

3/5
gaiaghirardi.bsky.social
I study the genotype-family SES interaction on obesity and overweight across the life-course. 



I ask whether the genetic propensity for high BMI matters more in explaining overweight and obesity among individuals from low or high-SES families? And if so, does this interaction vary by age?

2/5
gaiaghirardi.bsky.social
👏🏼👏🏼 amazing!
Reposted by Gaia Ghirardi
Reposted by Gaia Ghirardi
kph3k.bsky.social
I wrote about my recent experiences taking care of my 3-year-old, Sheila Heti's "Motherhood", and the discourse around polygenic embryo selection: kathrynpaigeharden.substack.com/p/openness-t...
Openness to Risk in Motherhood and "Motherhood"
Some Thoughts Related to Polygenic Embryo Screening
kathrynpaigeharden.substack.com
Reposted by Gaia Ghirardi
doctinak.bsky.social
Please consider submitting to our @socialdevelopment.bsky.social special issue on Political Engagement in Childhood and Adolescence: lnkd.in/eEFRuXJm. Abstracts are due on 15 September and the issue is edited by @harriet-tenenbaum.bsky.social
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
Reposted by Gaia Ghirardi
perlinedemange.bsky.social
Must-read for anyone considering Mendelian Imputation to increase their genetic sample.
Is the potential benefit really outweighing the risks?
margotvdweijer.bsky.social
New pre-print online: Imputing parental genotypes through Mendelian Imputation: Ethical and Legal Considerations
osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
Reposted by Gaia Ghirardi
pfallesen.bsky.social
🔴New working paper with @marcocozzani.bsky.social and @juhoharkonen.bsky.social. We describe the temporal link between conception timing and preterm birth rates. When conception rates fluctuate, preterm birth proportions shift predictably but with different magnitudes depending on baseline risk. 1/4
labdisia.disia.unifi.it
Reposted by Gaia Ghirardi
denizfraemke.bsky.social
🚨📜 Debut publication alert!

Do genetics influence education differently across state borders? 🧬📚 We tested differences in genetic associations with education in East and West 🇩🇪 around reunification!

Out now in Psychological Science 👉 doi.org/10.1177/0956...

#Sociogenomics #MPRGBiosocial #MPIB

A🧵
Reposted by Gaia Ghirardi
pablogracia.bsky.social
🆕 NEW Paper with K. Bobrowicz (lead), Z. Teuber & S. Greiff in @plosone.org!

Early Childhood Education (ECE) Stakeholders push Competition & Achievement over Solidarity & Cohesion

#Meritocracy #Trap

🌍 53 countries
📊 Thematic Analysis
🕰️ 1999–2023

Open Access 👉 journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
Reposted by Gaia Ghirardi
ferraraale.bsky.social
How do parental health shocks affect children’s well-being, personality and NEET status?

Our new paper on @jmfncfr.bsky.social l‬ suggests small or null effects in Germany.

With @jpheisig.bsky.social , Jonas Radl and Alena Scheinert

Open access here: doi.org/10.1111/jomf...
gaiaghirardi.bsky.social
New paper with @fabriberna.bsky.social - part of my PhD thesis!

Why are the negative educational consequences of parental separation stronger among high-SES children?

→ When high-SES parents separate, they lose their ability to compensate for their child’s low genetic propensity for education 🧬👪
readdemography.bsky.social
“SES, Genes & Differential Effects of Parental Separation on Educational Attainment”: @fabriberna.bsky.social & @gaiaghirardi.bsky.social find the largest penalty for “high-SES students whose parents separate is…among those w/ a low PGI EA.” @eui-eu.bsky.social read.dukeupress.edu/demography/a...
Reposted by Gaia Ghirardi
eui-sps.bsky.social
🎓 SPS Theses of the Month – May 2025

👏 Congratulations to @gaiaghirardi.bsky.social & Stephan Pietzner for successfully defending their dissertations!

Their work spans gene-environment inequality to nuclear strategy timely, rigorous, and impactful.

#SPS #PhDdefense

www.eui.eu/news-hub?id=...
SPS theses of the month: May
The Department of Political and Social Sciences is delighted to announce that during the month of May, two researchers have successfully defended their disser
www.eui.eu