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The Covariation of Antisocial Behavior and Substance Use in Adolescence: A Behavioral Genetic Perspective
Author(s) -
M Tom,
Rowe Richard,
Rijsdijk Fruhling,
Maughan, Barbara,
Eley Thalia C.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of research on adolescence
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.342
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1532-7795
pISSN - 1050-8392
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2011.00758.x
Subject(s) - juvenile delinquency , psychology , aggression , cannabis , developmental psychology , antisocial personality disorder , conduct disorder , substance use , behavioural genetics , clinical psychology , poison control , injury prevention , psychiatry , medicine , medical emergency
Multivariate genetic studies have revealed genetic correlations between antisocial behavior ( ASB ) and substance use ( SU ). However, ASB is heterogeneous, and it remains unclear whether all forms are similarly related to SU . The present study examines links between cannabis use, alcohol consumption, and aggressive and delinquent forms of ASB using a behavioral genetic approach. Participants were 1,688 adolescents (482 monozygotic twins, 852 dizygotic twins, and 354 nontwin siblings) aged 15–23 years old ( M = 16.91), sampled from the community in the U.K . Multivariate model fitting revealed that the genetic components of alcohol consumption and cannabis use correlated with those of both aggression (.21 and .49, respectively) and delinquency (.35 and .69, respectively). Results suggest that both aggression and delinquency have genetic effects in common with alcohol consumption and cannabis use.