BackgroundAntisocial behaviors are complex polygenic phenotypes that are due to a multifactorial arrangement of genetic polymorphisms. Little empirical research, however, has been undertaken that examines gene × gene interactions in the etiology of conduct disorder and antisocial behavior. This study examined whether adolescent conduct disorder and adult antisocial behavior were related to the dopamine D2 receptor polymorphism (DRD2) and the dopamine D4 receptor polymorphism (DRD4).MethodsA sample of 872 male participants from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) completed self-report questionnaires that tapped adolescent conduct disorder and adult antisocial behavior. DNA was genotyped for DRD2 and DRD4.ResultsMultivariate regression analysis revealed that neither DRD2 nor DRD4 had significant independent effects on conduct disorder or antisocial behavior. However, DRD2 interacted with DRD4 to predict variation in adolescent conduct disorder and in adult antisocial behavior.ConclusionThe results suggest that a gene × gene interaction between DRD2 and DRD4 is associated with the development of conduct disorder and adult antisocial behavior in males.
Recent research examining race‐based sentencing has reported anomalous results. It has been argued by Heck (1981) and Peterson and Hagan (1984) that these anomalies would not be perceived as such given a greater sensitivity to the “changing conceptions of race” in American society. This study performs a limited test of the sexual stratification hypothesis which asserts that various degrees of opprobrium are attached to sexual assaults depending on the racial composition of the offender/victim dyad. This hypothesis is tested with an additive and a race‐specific model. The additive model fails to reveal any significant differences in severity of penalties based on either offender or victim race. The race‐specific model reveals that significantly harsher penalties were imposed on blacks who sexually assaulted whites than were imposed on blacks who sexually assaulted blacks. The additive model suppresses this differential sentencing severity because blacks who assaulted blacks received the most lenient penalties, thus moving the black grand mean to one which was not significantly different from the white grand mean. Thus, both differential leniency and harshness are possible for blacks depending on the race of the victim.
This study explores the influence of maltreatment on serious violent and property delinquency as well as on minor misbehavior offenses among a sample of White male delinquents. A recent influential study concluded that this relationship has been exaggerated and found it to be nonexistent for serious offending after the effects of family structure were factored in. This article points out some of the deficiencies in that research and demonstrates that when both delinquency and maltreatment are measured comprehensively, the relationship is robust controlling for type of family structure, verbal IQ, family size, and birth order. Although it was found that the variables impact differentially according to the type of delinquency being examined, in every case, maltreatment was found to account for significant independent variance. It was also found that delinquents from homes broken by desertion were the most maltreated and the most delinquent
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