Exploring the Role of Gene, Traumatic Experiences, and Religious Participation in Public Service Employment: A Gene–Environment Interaction Perspective

ABSTRACT Previous studies on sectoral choice have examined environmental and genetic factors in isolation, with little consideration of how gene–environment interactions influence public service employment selection. Notably, altruism‐related genes have been found to play a critical role in shaping prosocial behaviors. This study investigates how early traumatic experiences affect individuals' choice of public service employment through the mediating role of religious participation. It further investigates whether the altruism‐related gene moderates the effect of early traumatic experience on religious participation, thereby establishing a moderated mediation model. Using a nationally representative UK dataset, we find that religious participation mediates the relationship between traumatic experiences and public service employment selection. Additionally, individuals carrying more alleles of the altruism‐related gene exhibit greater sensitivity to traumatic experiences, which in turn influences their religious participation and subsequent career choice.