The developmental interplay between household chaos and educational achievement from age 9 through 16 years: A genetically sensitive study

We tested whether associations between household chaos, which refers to confusion and disorganisation in family homes, and educational achievement are confounded by genetics and family socioeconomic status (SES). We modelled the developmental interplay between chaos and achievement, including their reverse association (i.e., achievement → chaos), and its aetiology in up to 7591 twin pairs (49 % female), who were born in the mid-90s in the UK and assessed at age 9, 12, and 16 years. Associations between household chaos and educational achievement were consistently negative, bidirectional, and of small effect sizes across ages. These associations were best explained by genetic and environmental confounding. Family SES accounted for most of the confounding in the predictions from achievement to chaos; for the reverse, environments shared within families but distinct from SES were implied. Our findings suggest that long-term associations between children's experiences of household chaos and educational achievement are modest and non-causal. Educational relevance and implications statement: Children's differences in educational achievement are evident from the first day of school. Understanding why children differ in educational achievement is key to improving their life chances. Here, we tested if a specific characteristic of children's rearing environment – the level of chaos that they experience in their family homes – predicted their educational achievement. We found that chaos and achievement were linked in both directions: Chaos influenced achievement, and achievement influenced chaos. However, these bidirectional influences did not reflect causal mechanisms. Instead, children's differences in the experience of chaos and educational achievement appear to have the same origin. Our study suggests that changing children's experience of chaos is unlikely to help better their educational achievement.