Chapter 4 114 observed responsivity patterns by person × environment interactions (Belsky et al., 2007, 2013; Jolicoeur-Martineau et al., 2019; Roisman et al., 2012). That is, studies competitively evaluated whether the pattern of moderation effects were consistent with either the diathesis-stress, vantage sensitivity, or differential susceptibility models. Nonetheless, systematic reviews highlight inconsistent findings across studies. Evidence for all three theories have been presented, depending on the studied parenting practice, child outcome, sensitivity marker, age group, assessment method, and so forth (for reviews see, Rabinowitz & Drabick, 2017; Rioux et al., 2016; Slagt et al., 2016). Hence, to date, there seems to be inconclusive evidence for either one of the theoretical models, which raises the possibility that all models may co-exist and that differences in empirical findings are due to methodological factors (Pluess & Belsky, 2012, 2013). Indeed, Pluess (2015) hypothesized the coexistence of different sensitivity types. He theorized that individuals can become sensitive to either adverse or supportive influences or to both influences, because of the interaction between genetic disposition and experiences in early development. For example, children who carry genes for environmental sensitivity may become particularly sensitive to adverse influences when growing up in very stressful conditions, whereas others may become particularly sensitive to supportive influences when growing up in very supportive conditions. Children who carry sensitivity genes and grow up in a more neutral environment (which is neither very stressful or supportive), may remain sensitive to both adverse and supportive influences. Being more sensitive in perceiving and processing adverse and/or supportive influences can manifest in a heightened responsivity to those influences (Pluess, 2015). Accordingly, different responsivity patterns – adverse sensitive, vantage sensitive, and differentially susceptible – may coexist and apply to different subgroups of individuals (Pluess, 2015; Pluess & Belsky, 2012, 2013). When applying to parenting, this “coexisting responsivity patterns hypothesis” implies that: (a) some children may primarily experience negative effects of adverse parenting; (b) others may primarily experience advantageous effects of supportive parenting; and (c) some others may experience both. And finally, (d) some experience neither such positive nor negative effects, as consistent with all three models (see Figure 1). To test this hypothesis, an approach is needed that allows to examine which responsivity pattern applies to each individual (Pluess & Belsky, 2013). In the current study, we investigated this hypothesis in adolescence, by using intensive longitudinal data of families who bi-weekly reported on both adverse (i.e., psychological control) and supportive (i.e., warmth/support) parenting, and varying indicators of
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