Different Slopes for Different Folks: Genetic Influences on Growth in Delinquent Peer Association and Delinquency During Adolescence

J Youth Adolesc. 2015 Jul;44(7):1413-27. doi: 10.1007/s10964-015-0299-8. Epub 2015 May 13.

Abstract

An extensive line of research has identified delinquent peer association as a salient environmental risk factor for delinquency, especially during adolescence. While previous research has found moderate-to-strong associations between exposure to delinquent peers and a variety of delinquent behaviors, comparatively less scholarship has focused on the genetic architecture of this association over the course of adolescence. Using a subsample of kinship pairs (N = 2379; 52% female) from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth-Child and Young Adult Supplement (CNLSY), the present study examined the extent to which correlated individual differences in starting levels and developmental growth in delinquent peer pressure and self-reported delinquency were explained by additive genetic and environmental influences. Results from a series of biometric growth models revealed that 37% of the variance in correlated growth between delinquent peer pressure and self-reported delinquency was explained by additive genetic effects, while nonshared environmental effects accounted for the remaining 63% of the variance. Implications of these findings for interpreting the nexus between peer effects and adolescent delinquency are discussed.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adolescent Behavior
  • Antisocial Personality Disorder / diagnosis
  • Antisocial Personality Disorder / genetics*
  • Child
  • Female
  • Gene-Environment Interaction*
  • Humans
  • Juvenile Delinquency / psychology*
  • Male
  • Peer Group*
  • Risk Factors
  • Risk-Taking
  • Self Efficacy*