scholarly journals The Etiological Moderation of Aggressive and Nonaggressive Antisocial Behavior by Age

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 343-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Alexandra Burt ◽  
Kelly L. Klump
Keyword(s):  
Antisocial Behavior ◽  
Environmental Influences ◽  
Genetic Influences ◽  
Michigan State University ◽  
State University ◽  
Genetic Expression ◽  
Twin Registry ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Rule Breaking ◽  
Additional Support

AbstractA recent study has suggested that aggressive (AGG) and non-aggressive, rule-breaking (RB) antisocial behavior evidence differential and subtype-specific patterns of genetic expression during development. Namely, although genetic influences on RB increase dramatically during early- to mid-adolescence, genetic influences on AGG appear to remain stable. As no other study has examined age-related change in AGG versus RB, more research is clearly needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn. The current study thus examined whether and how age impacted genetic and environmental influences on AGG and RB in a sample of 252 10- to 15-year-old twin pairs assessed as part of the Michigan State University Twin Registry (MSUTR). Results constructively replicated and extended prior findings, indicating that while the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences on AGG remained stable across adolescence, genetic influences on RB increased dramatically with age. Such findings provide additional support for etiological distinctions within the broader construct of antisocial behavior based on the presence or absence of aggression, and offer insights into the expression of genetic influences during development.

scholarly journals Delinquent peer affiliation as an etiological moderator of childhood delinquency

2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 1269-1278 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. Burt ◽  
K. L. Klump
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Influences ◽  
Genetic Influences ◽  
Michigan State University ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
State University ◽  
Prior Work ◽  
Peer Affiliation ◽  
Twin Registry ◽  
Delinquent Peer ◽  
Delinquent Peers

BackgroundPrior research has indicated that affiliation with delinquent peers activates genetic influences on delinquency during adolescence. However, because other studies have indicated that the socializing effects of delinquent peers vary dramatically across childhood and adolescence, it is unclear whether delinquent peer affiliation (DPA) also moderates genetic influences on delinquency during childhood.MethodThe current study sought to evaluate whether and how DPA moderated the etiology of delinquency in a sample of 726 child twins from the Michigan State University Twin Registry (MSUTR).ResultsThe results robustly supported etiological moderation of childhood delinquency by DPA. However, this effect was observed for shared environmental, rather than genetic, influences. Shared environmental influences on delinquency were found to be several-fold larger in those with higher levels of DPA as compared to those with lower levels. This pattern of results persisted even when controlling for the overlap between delinquency and DPA.ConclusionsOur findings bolster prior work in suggesting that, during childhood, the association between DPA and delinquency is largely (although not solely) attributable to the effects of socialization as compared to selection. They also suggest that the process of etiological moderation is not specific to genetic influences. Latent environmental influences are also amenable to moderation by measured environmental factors.

scholarly journals It really does take a village: The role of neighbors in the etiology of nonaggressive rule-breaking behavior

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (02) ◽  
pp. 713-725 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Alexandra Burt ◽  
Amber L. Pearson ◽  
Amanda Rzotkiewicz ◽  
Kelly L. Klump ◽  
Jenae M. Neiderhiser
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Networks ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Genetic Influences ◽  
Michigan State University ◽  
State University ◽  
Geographic Proximity ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Contagion Model ◽  
Rule Breaking

AbstractAlthough there is growing recognition that disadvantaged contexts attenuate genetic influences on youth misbehavior, it is not yet clear how this dampening occurs. The current study made use of a “geographic contagion” model to isolate specific contexts contributing to this effect, with a focus on nonaggressive rule-breaking behaviors (RB) in the families’ neighbors. Our sample included 847 families residing in or near modestly-to-severely disadvantaged neighborhoods who participated in the Michigan State University Twin Registry. Neighborhood sampling techniques were used to recruit neighbors residing within 5km of a given family (the mean number of neighbors assessed per family was 13.09; range, 1–47). Analyses revealed clear evidence of genotype–environment interactions by neighbor RB, such that sibling-level shared environmental influences on child RB increased with increasing neighbor self-reports of their own RB, whereas genetic influences decreased. Moreover, this moderation appeared to be driven by geographic proximity to neighbors. Sensitivity analyses further indicated that this effect was specifically accounted for by higher levels of neighbor joblessness, rather than elements of neighbor RB that would contribute to neighborhood blight or crime. Such findings provocatively suggest that future genotype–environment interactions studies should integrate the dynamic networks of social contagion theory.

scholarly journals Prosocial peer affiliation suppresses genetic influences on non-aggressive antisocial behaviors during childhood

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 821-830 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. Burt ◽  
K. L. Klump
Keyword(s):  
Antisocial Behavior ◽  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Genetic Influences ◽  
Michigan State University ◽  
Environment Interaction ◽  
State University ◽  
Antisocial Behaviors ◽  
Deviant Peer Affiliation ◽  
Peer Affiliation ◽  
Gene Environment

BackgroundAvailable research has suggested that affiliation with prosocial peers reduces child and adolescent antisocial behavior. However, the etiologic mechanisms driving this association remain unclear. The current study sought to evaluate whether this association takes the form of a gene–environment interaction (G × E) in which prosocial peer affiliation acts to reduce the consequences of genetic risk for non-aggressive antisocial behavior during childhood.MethodOur sample consisted of 500 twin pairs aged 6–10 years from the Michigan State University Twin Registry (MSUTR).ResultsThe results robustly support moderation by prosocial peer affiliation. Genetic influences on non-aggressive antisocial behavior were observed to be several times larger in those with lower levels of prosocial peer affiliation than in those with higher levels of prosocial peer affiliation. This pattern of results persisted even after controlling for gene–environment correlations and deviant peer affiliation, and when restricting our analyses to those twins who shared all or nearly all of their friends.ConclusionsSuch findings not only suggest that prosocial peer affiliation moderates genetic influences on non-aggressive antisocial behaviors during childhood but also provide support for the theoretical notion that protective environmental experiences may exert their influence by promoting resilience to genetic risk.

scholarly journals Twin Differences in Harsh Parenting Predict Youth’s Antisocial Behavior

2021 ◽  
pp. 095679762096853
Author(s):  
S. Alexandra Burt ◽  
D. Angus Clark ◽  
Elizabeth T. Gershoff ◽  
Kelly L. Klump ◽  
Luke W. Hyde
Keyword(s):  
Antisocial Behavior ◽  
Large Degree ◽  
Harsh Parenting ◽  
Michigan State University ◽  
State University ◽  
Replication Sample ◽  
Genetic Transmission ◽  
Twin Registry ◽  
Primary Sample ◽  
Twin Children

In the current study, we leveraged differences within twin pairs to examine whether harsh parenting is associated with children’s antisocial behavior via environmental (vs. genetic) transmission. We examined two independent samples from the Michigan State University Twin Registry. Our primary sample contained 1,030 families (2,060 twin children; 49% female; 6–10 years old) oversampled for exposure to disadvantage. Our replication sample included 240 families (480 twin children; 50% female; 6–15 years old). Co-twin control analyses were conducted using a specification-curve framework, an exhaustive modeling approach in which all reasonable analytic specifications of the data are interrogated. Results revealed that, regardless of zygosity, the twin experiencing harsher parenting exhibited more antisocial behavior. These effects were robust across multiple operationalizations and informant reports of both harsh parenting and antisocial behavior with only a few exceptions. Results indicate that the association between harsh parenting and children’s antisocial behavior is, to a large degree, environmental in origin.

scholarly journals The Michigan State University Twin Registry (MSUTR): Genetic, Environmental and Neurobiological Influences on Behavior Across Development

2006 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 971-977 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly L. Klump ◽  
S. Alexandra Burt
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Developmental Differences ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Buccal Swab ◽  
Michigan State University ◽  
State University ◽  
Twin Registry ◽  
Twin Families ◽  
Data Collections ◽  
Areas Of Interest

AbstractThe primary aim of the Michigan State University Twin Registry (MSUTR) is to examine developmental differences in genetic, environmental, and neurobiological influences on internalizing and externalizing symptoms, with disordered eating and antisocial behavior representing particular areas of interest. Twin participants span several developmental stages (i.e., childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood). Assessments include comprehensive, multiinformant measures of psychiatric and behavioral phenotypes, buccal swab and salivary DNA samples, assays of adolescent and adult steroid hormone levels (e.g., estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol), and videotaped parent–child interactions of child and adolescent twin families. To date, we have collected data on over 1000 twins, with additional data collections underway. This article provides an overview of the newly developed MSUTR and describes current and future research directions.

A Twin Study of Lifetime Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) in Older Adults: Genetic and Environmental Influences Shared by Neuroticism and GAD

2006 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret-Anne Mackintosh ◽  
Margaret Gatz ◽  
Julie Loebach Wetherell ◽  
Nancy L. Pedersen
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Environmental Influences ◽  
Genetic Influences ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Twin Registry ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Adult Twins ◽  
Telephone Screening ◽  
Swedish Twin Registry

AbstractThe nature of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and worry across the lifespan remains incompletely understood. We investigated genetic and environmental influences on GAD and the proportion of genetic and environmental variation in GAD that is shared with neuroticism in older adult twins. Participants included 1618 monozygotic and 2291 same-sexed dizygotic twin pairs from the Swedish Twin Registry aged 55 to 74. Participants provided personality information in 1973 and also participated in a telephone screening between 1998 and 2002 that included an assessment for lifetime GAD. Univariate biometric models indicated that both GAD and neuroticism were moderately heritable (.27 and .47, respectively), while the balance of variation reflected environmental factors unique to the individual. Bivariate analyses indicated that approximately one third of the genetic influences on GAD were in common with genetic influences on neuroticism, while individual specific environmental influences were virtually unshared between GAD and neuroticism. Analyses of sex effects suggested that men and women differed in the frequency of lifetime GAD and level of neuroticism; however, no sex differences for genetic and environmental influences for either trait were identified.

scholarly journals The Michigan State University Twin Registry (MSUTR): 15 Years of Twin and Family Research

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 741-745 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Alexandra Burt ◽  
Kelly L. Klump
Keyword(s):  
Family Environment ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Buccal Swab ◽  
Michigan State University ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
State University ◽  
Twin Registry ◽  
Population Based Registry

AbstractThe primary aim of the Michigan State University Twin Registry (MSUTR) is to examine developmental differences in genetic, environmental, neural, epigenetic, and neurobiological influences on psychopathology and resilience, particularly during childhood and adolescence. The MSUTR has two broad components: a large-scale, population-based registry of child, adolescent, and adult twins and their families (current N ~30,000) and a series of more focused and in-depth studies drawn from the registry (projected N ~7200). Participants in the population-based registry complete a family health and demographic questionnaire via mail. Families can then be recruited for one or more of the intensive, in-person studies from the population-based registry, using any one of several recruitment strategies (e.g., population-based, based on their answers to the registry questionnaire). These latter studies target a variety of biological, genetic, and environmental phenotypes, including multi-informant measures of psychiatric and behavioral phenotypes, functional and structural neuroimaging, comprehensive measures of the twin family environment (e.g., census and neighborhood informant reports of twin neighborhood characteristics, videotaped interactions of child twin families), buccal swab and salivary DNA samples, and/or assays of adolescent and adult steroid hormone levels. This article provides an overview of the MSUTR and describes current and future research directions.

scholarly journals The Michigan State University Twin Registry (MSUTR): An Update

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 344-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Alexandra Burt ◽  
Kelly L. Klump
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Family Health ◽  
Externalizing Disorders ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Buccal Swab ◽  
Michigan State University ◽  
State University ◽  
Twin Registry ◽  
Population Based Registry

The primary aim of the Michigan State University Twin Registry (MSUTR) is on understanding developmental changes in genetic, environmental, and neurobiological influences on internalizing and externalizing disorders, with antisocial behavior and disordered eating representing our particular areas of interest. The MSUTR has two broad components: a large-scale, population-based registry of child, adolescent, and adult twins and their families (current N ~20,000) and a series of more focused and in-depth studies drawn from the registry (current N ~4,000). Participants in the population-based registry complete a family health and demographic questionnaire via mail. Families are then recruited for one or more of the intensive, in-person studies from the population-based registry based on their answers to relevant items in the registry questionnaire. These in-person assessments target a variety of biological, genetic, and environmental phenotypes, including multi-informant measures of psychiatric and behavioral phenotypes, census and neighborhood informant reports of twin neighborhood characteristics, buccal swab and salivary DNA samples, assays of adolescent and adult steroid hormone levels, and/or videotaped interactions of child twin families. This article provides an overview of the MSUTR and describes current and future research directions.

Do etiological influences on aggression overlap with those on rule breaking? A meta-analysis

2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (9) ◽  
pp. 1801-1812 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. Burt
Keyword(s):  
Antisocial Behavior ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Genetic Influences ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Environmental Correlations ◽  
Sibling Pairs ◽  
Mixed Effect Models ◽  
Rule Breaking ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors

BackgroundAlthough aggressive (AGG) and non-aggressive rule-breaking (RB) dimensions of antisocial behavior have been shown to be differentially heritable, available studies have disagreed on the extent to which the genetic and environmental factors influencing AGG also influence RB. The current meta-analysis sought to clarify the extent of etiological overlap between AGG and RB.MethodThirteen twin/sibling studies examining the covariation between AGG and RB were collected, of which 11 (with 12 independent samples) were ultimately included in the analyses (n=12923 twin/sibling pairs). Genetic and environmental correlations between AGG and RB served as study effect sizes. When squared, these correlations directly index the proportion of genetic and environmental overlap. Data were analyzed using mixed effect models.ResultsAnalyses revealed that genetic influences on AGG were largely, but not entirely, distinct from those on RB: only 38.4% of the genetic influences on AGG overlapped with those on RB. Similarly, only 10.2% of the non-shared environmental influences on AGG overlapped with those on RB. Although the conclusion that etiological influences on AGG are partially distinct from those on RB persisted across several potential moderators, the age of the sample and the informant used were found to moderate the extent of overlap.ConclusionsThe findings underscore the presence of meaningful etiological distinctions between AGG and RB, and imply that future conceptualizations of antisocial behavior should be organized (at least in part) around the dimensions of AGG and RB.

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