Heterogeneity of causes for delinquency and criminality: Lifespan perspectives

Abstract

This review of family, twin, and adoption studies on offender behaviors points to the importance of a genetic predisposition as a partial explanation for criminality in some populations. Twin and adoption studies show that criminality increases with the presence of criminality in biological relatives; the environmental effects of having a criminal adoptive parent also increase the risk of adoptee criminality. Delinquency is described developmentally as a fairly typical phase for many adolescents. Because of the high base rate for delinquency, any genetic predisposition for offense behaviors may be difficult to uncover in adolescence. Three groups are differentiated that may aid in this detection: continuous antisocials are delinquents who continue to be criminal as adults; transitory delinquents are delinquents but not criminals; and late bloomers are criminals but not delinquents.

Male Physical Fighting Ability During Adolescence Is Influenced by Height and Bulk

“…Serious types of violent behavior in adulthood may have different etiologies than violent behaviors in adolescence [2,30], and thus we wanted to keep the behavioral outcomes as homogenous as possible in terms of their underlying causes. Moreover, given that the data were drawn from a nationally representative sample, the incidence of physical fighting (particularly with injuries) was relatively rare in adulthood, making it difficult to analyze fighting ability in adulthood.…”

Etiological heterogeneity in the development of antisocial behavior: the Virginia Twin Study of Adolescent Behavioral Development and the Young Adult Follow-Up

“…It is not that the risk factors are different in type from those associated with life-course-persistent antisocial behavior, but rather that they are much more weakly associated. The one exception concerns membership of a deviant peer group (DiLalla & Gottesman, 1989).…”

Common genetic risk factors for conduct disorder and alcohol dependence.

“…Whereas some studies have found evidence for substantial genetic influences in the development of childhood antisocial behavior problems (Eaves et al, 1997;Grove et al, 1990;Rowe, 1983;Slutske et al, 1997;1\vito & Stewart, 1982), others have not (Lyons et al, 1995; see also Cloninger & Gottesman, 1987;DiLalla & Gottesman, 1989). For example, in two recent twin studies of adult-reported childhood CD (the largest twin studies of CD to date), the estimates of the contribution of genetic factors to variation in risk for CD were 7% (Lyons et al, 1995) versus 43%-71 % .…”