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BAD BEHAVIOR: STRONG GENETIC
INFLUENCE DETECTED
Last year, Wendy Slutske and colleagues reported that genes
strongly influence whether or not children develop conduct
disorder
(see related article, Crime Times, 1997, Vol. 3, No. 3, Page 1).
In a new study, Peter McGuffin and Anita Thapar report similar findings.
The researchers studied antisocial behaviors in adolescent twins,
using information from questionnaires sent to 43 monozygotic
("identical") and 38 dizygotic ("fraternal") same-sex twins.
Their data suggest, McGuffin and Thapar say, "that common bad
behaviors of the sort admitted to by the majority of adolescents
have a substantially heritable component. Additive genetic
effects account for most of the variation, with no evidence of a
contribution from shared environment."
The researchers say these results are quite different from those
of an earlier study (also by McGuffin and Thapar) of younger
children, between the ages of 8 and 16. In the younger group,
they say, bad behavior appeared to be largely determined by
environmental factors. "However," they say, "the finding of
higher heritability in adolescents is in keeping with the
tendency for other behavioral traits to show increasing genetic
effects over time." For instance, they note, the effects of genes
on cognitive ability increase considerably with age.
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"Genetic basis of bad behaviour in adolescents," Peter McGuffin
and Anita Thapar, The Lancet, Vol. 350, August 9, 1997, pp. 411-
412. Address: Peter McGuffin, Division of Psychological Medicine,
University of Wales College of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff CF4
4XN, UK.
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