Differential genetic and environmental influences on developmental trajectories of antisocial behavior from adolescence to young adulthood

Citation

Zheng, Yao & Cleveland, H. Harrington (2015). Differential genetic and environmental influences on developmental trajectories of antisocial behavior from adolescence to young adulthood. Journal of Adolescence. vol. 45 pp. 204-213

Abstract

Little research has investigated differential genetic and environmental influences on different developmental trajectories of antisocial behavior. This study examined genetic and environmental influences on liabilities of being in life-course-persistent (LCP) and adolescent-limited (AL) type delinquent groups from adolescence to young adulthood while considering nonviolent and violent delinquency subtypes and gender differences. A genetically informative sample (n = 356, 15–16 years) from the first three waves of In-Home Interview of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health was used, with 94 monozygotic and 84 dizygotic pairs of same-sex twins (50% male). Biometric liability threshold models were fit and found that the male-specific LCP type class, chronic, showed more genetic influences, while the AL type classes, decliner and desister, showed more environmental influences. Genetic liability and shared environment both influence the persistence of antisocial behavior. The development of female antisocial behavior appears to be influenced more by shared environment.

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.adolescence.2015.10.006

Keyword(s)

Genetic influence Environmental influence Developmental taxonomic theory Antisocial behavior Adolescent Gender difference

Reference Type

Journal Article

Journal Title

Journal of Adolescence

Author(s)

Zheng, Yao
Cleveland, H. Harrington

Year Published

2015

Volume Number

45

Pages

204-213

DOI

10.1016/j.adolescence.2015.10.006

Reference ID

7212