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Genetic and Environmental Influences on Levels of Self-Control and Delinquent Peer Affiliation: Results From a Longitudinal Sample of Adolescent Twins

NCJ Number
225690
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior: An International Journal Volume: 36 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2009 Pages: 41-60
Author(s)
Kevin M. Beaver; J. Eagle Shutt; Brian B. Boutwell; Marie Ratchford; Kathleen Roberts; J.C. Barnes
Date Published
January 2009
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This study examined the relative effects of genetic and environmental factors associated with individual levels of self-control and with the formation of drug-using friendship networks.
Abstract
These findings add to an emerging body of empirical research revealing that biogenetic factors are a cause and perhaps even the dominant cause of problems with self control and self-regulation. Research revealed three broad findings: first, once genetic effects were held constant, the shared environment had no effect on either of the two low self-control scales and no effect on the Wave 2 Drug-Using Peers scales; second, across all of the models, the non-shared environment accounted for a large proportion of variance in the dependent variables; and third, the Wave 1 and Wave 2 Low Self-Control scales and the Wave 1 and Wave 2 Drug-Using Peers scales were under substantial genetic influence. The findings suggest that once genetic effects were removed the shared environment did not exert any effect on the development of self-control. Also found was that differential parental treatment (non-shared environment) was associated with low self-control. Implications for self-control theory and social learning theory are discussed. Data collected from a sample of monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) study were analyzed using DeFries-Fulker (DF) regression techniques. Tables, notes, and references