Hostname: page-component-6898cfcb55-zsp5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-11-11T06:51:23.810Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Genetically informative designs for distinguishing developmental pathways during adolescence: Responsible and antisocial behavior

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 March 2009

Jenae M. Neiderhiser,
David Reiss and
E. Mavis Hetherington
Jenae M. Neiderhiser*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, George Washington University
David Reiss
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, George Washington University
E. Mavis Hetherington
Affiliation:
University of Virginia, Department of Psychology
*
J. M. Neiderhiser, Center for Family Research, 2300 Eye St., N.W., Room 613 Ross Hall, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037
Get accessRights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

During the transition from early to middle adolescence there are numerous changes internal to the adolescent, such as the onset of puberty and changes in cognitive functioning, and external to the adolescent in terms of social reactions to the adolescent and changes in expectations. These changes may also be explained in terms of genetic and environmental influences on change and stability. This study employs the longitudinal sample from both waves of the Nonshared Environment in Adolescent Development (NEAD) project (395 families). The NEAD project includes adolescent siblings residing in never-divorced families (MZ and DZ twins and full siblings) and in stepfamilies (full, half, and unrelated siblings). The sample was assessed on two measurement occasions, 3 years apart. On average, the first measurement occasion assessed the families during early adolescence and the second measurement occasion occurred during middle adolescence. Composite measures of parent reports, adolescent self-reports and observer ratings of three constructs of adolescent adjustment (antisocial behavior, autonomy, and social responsibility) were examined in this analysis. Each construct showed a different pattern of genetic and environmental contributions to stability and change, suggesting different developmental pathways for each domain of adolescent adjustment. For example, genetic influences were important for both change and stability in antisocial behavior. Stability in social responsibility, on the other hand, was influenced by primarily genetic factors, while nonshared environmental factors were predominantly responsible for change. Finally, genetic and shared environmental influences contributed nearly equally to stability and change in autonomous functioning. These findings emphasize the importance of considering genetic as well as environmental factors when change in development is examined. Additionally, these data provide an armature for a comprehensive developmental theory for each of these domains of adolescent adjustment.

Information

Type
Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 8 , Issue 4: Developmental Pathways: Diversity in Process and Outcome , Fall 1996, pp. 779 - 791
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Achenbach, T. M. (1991). Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist/4–18 and 1991 Profile. Burlington VT: Author.Google Scholar
Allen, J. P., Hauser, S. T., Bell, K. L., & O'Connor, T. G. (1994). Longitudinal assessment of autonomy and relatedness in adolescent-family interactions as predictors of adolescent ego development and self-esteem. Child Development, 65, 179–194.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, E. R., Hetherington, E. M., Reiss, D., & Howe, G. (1994). Parents' nonshared treatment of siblings and the development of social competence during adolescence. Journal of Family Psychology, 8, 303–320.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bernstein, I. S. (1989). Perceptions are nonshared environments. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 10, 16–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boomsma, D. I., van den Bree, M. B. M., Orlebeke, J. F., & Molenaar, P. C. M. (1989). Resemblances of parents and twins in sports participation and heart rate. Behavior Genetics, 19, 123–141.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bouchard, T. J. Jr., & McGue, M. (1981). Familial studies of intelligence: A review. Science, 212, 1055–1059.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Braungart, J. M., Plomin, R., DeFries, J. C., & Fulker, D. W. (1992). Genetic influence on tester-rated infant temperature as assessed by Bayley's Infant Behavior Record: Nonadoptive and adoptive siblings and twins. Developmental Psychology, 28, 40–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cudeck, R. (1989). Analysis of correlations matrices using covariance structure models. Psychological Bulletin, 105, 317–327.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cyphers, L. H., Phillips, K., Fulker, D. W., & Mrazek, D. A. (1990). Twin temperament during the transition from infancy to early childhood. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 29, 392–397.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eaves, L. J., Eysenck, H. J., & Martin, N. G. (1989). Genes, culture and personality: An empirical approach. New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Eaves, L. J., Last, K. A., Young, P. A., & Martin, N. G. (1978). Model fitting approaches to the analysis of human behavior. Heredity, 41, 249–320.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Edelbrock, C., Rende, R., Plomin, R., & Thompson, L. A. (1995). A twin study of competence and problem behavior in childhood and early adolescence. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 36(5), 775–785.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Elder, G. H. Jr., (1975). Adolescence in the life cycle: An introduction. In Dragastin, S. E. & Elder, J. G. H. (Eds.), Adolescence in the life cycle: Psychological change and social context (pp. 1–22). New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Fulker, D. W., Baker, L. A., & Block, R. D. (1983). Estimating components of covariance using lisrel. Data Analyst, 1, 5–8.Google Scholar
Gough, G. H. (1975). California Psychological Inventory Manual. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.Google Scholar
Hagan, M. S. (1992). Method. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 57 (2–3, Serial No. 227).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jinks, J. L., & Fulker, D. W. (1970). Comparison of the biometrical genetical, MAVA, and classical approaches to the analysis of human behavior. Psychological Bulletin, 73, 311–349.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jöreskog, K. G., & Sörbom, D. (1993). New features in LISREL 8. Chicago: Scientific Software International, Inc.Google Scholar
Loehlin, J. C. (1992). Genes and environment in personality development. (Vol. 2). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Masten, A. S., Coatsworth, J. D., Neemann, J., Gest, S. D., Tellegen, A., & Garmezy, N. (1995). The structure and coherence of competence from childhood through adolescence. Child Development, 66, 1635–1659.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Matheny, A. P. Jr., (1989). A longitudinal twin study of stability of components from Bayley's Infant Behavior Record. Child Development, 54, 356–360.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCartney, K., Harris, M. J., & Bemieri, F. (1990). Growing up and growing apart: A developmental meta-analysis of twin studies. Psychological Bulletin, 107, 226–237.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McGue, M., Bacon, S., & Lykken, D. T. (1993). Personality stability and change in early adulthood: A behavioral genetic analysis. Developmental Psychology, 29, 96–109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McGue, M., & Bouchard, T. J. Jr., (1984). Adjustment of twin data for the effects of age and sex. Behavior Genetics, 14, 325–343.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McGue, M., Bouchard, T. J. Jr., Iacono, W. G., & Lykken, D. T. (1993). Behavioral genetics of cognitive ability: A life-span perspective. In Plomin, R. & McClearn, G. E. (Eds.), Nature, nurture, & psychology (pp. 56–76). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
McGuire, S., Neiderhiser, J. M., Plomin, R., Hetherington, E. M., & Reiss, D. (1994). Genetic and environmental influences on perceptions of self-worth and competence in adolescence: A study of twins, full siblings, and step siblings. Child Development, 65, 785–799.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Meyer, J. M., Eaves, L. J., Silberg, J. L., Erickson, M., Neale, M. C., Simonoff, E., Loeber, R., Heath, A. C., Kendler, K. S., & Hewitt, J. K. (1993, 06). Contextual effects on adolescence behavioral development: The Virginia school-age twin study. Paper presented at the Society for Research in Child Development, New Orleans, LA.Google Scholar
Mulaik, S. A., James, L. R., Alstine, J. V., Bennett, N., Lind, S., & Stilwell, C. D. (1989). Evaluation of goodness-of-fit indices for structural equation models. Psychological Bulletin, 105, 430–445.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neale, M. C., & Cardon, L. R. (1992). Methodology for genetic studies of twins and families. Boston: Kluwer Academic.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neiderhiser, J. M., & McGuire, S. (1994). Competence during middle childhood. In DeFries, J. C., Plomin, R., & Fulker, D. W. (Eds.), Nature and nurture during middle childhood (pp. 141–151). Cambridge, MA: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Nichols, R. C., & Bilbro, W. C. Jr., (1966). The diagnosis of twin zygosity. Acta Genetica, 16, 265–275.Google ScholarPubMed
O'Connor, T. F., McGuire, S., Reiss, D., Hetherington, E. M., & Plomin, R. (in press). Co-occurrence of depressive symptoms and antisocial behavior in adolescence: A common genetic liability. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines.Google Scholar
O'Connor, T. G., Neiderhiser, J. M., Reiss, D., Hetherington, E. M., & Plomin, R. (in press). Genetic contributions to continuity, change, and co-occurrence of antisocial and depressive symptoms in adolescence. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines.Google Scholar
Pedersen, N. L., Plomin, R., McClearn, G. E., & Friberg, L. (1988). Neuroticism, extraversion, and related traits in adult twins reared apart and reared together. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 55, 950–957.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Petersen, A. C. (1988). Adolescent development. Annual Review of Psychology, 39, 583–607.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pike, A., McGuire, S., Hetherington, E. M., Reiss, D., & Plomin, R. (in press). Family environment and adolescent depression and antisocial behavior: A multivariate genetic analysis. Developmental Psychology.Google Scholar
Plomin, R. (1986). Multivariate analysis and developmental behavioral genetics: Developmental change as well as continuity. Behavior Genetics, 16, 25–43.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Plomin, R., DeFries, J. C., & McClearn, G. E. (1990). Behavioral genetics: A primer. (2nd ed.). New York: W. H. Freeman.Google Scholar
Plomin, R., Emde, R., Braungart, J. M., Campos, J., Corley, R., Fulker, D. W., Kagan, J., Reznick, S., Robinson, J., Zahn-Waxler, C., & DeFries, J. C. (1993). Genetic change and continuity from 14 to 20 months: The MacArthur Longitudinal Twin Study. Child Development, 64, 1354–1376.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Plomin, R., Reiss, D., Hetherington, E. M., & Howe, G. W. (1994). Nature and nurture: Genetic contributions to measures of the family environment. Developmental Psychology, 30, 32–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Plomin, R., Rende, R., & Rutter, M. (1991). Quantitative genetics and developmental psychopathology. In Cicchetti, D. & Toth, S. L. (Eds.), Internalizing and externalizing expressions of dysfunction: Rochester symposium on developmental psychopathology (Vol. 2, pp. 155–202). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Reiss, D., Hetherington, E. M., Plomin, R., Howe, G. W., Simmens, S. J., Henderson, S. H., O'Connor, T. J., Bussell, D. A., Anderson, E. R., & Law, T. (1995). Genetic questions for environmental studies: Differential parenting of siblings and its association with depressive symptoms and antisocial behavior in adolescents. Archives of General Psychiatry, 52, 925–936.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reiss, D., Plomin, R., Hetherington, E. M., Howe, G. W., Rovine, M., Tryon, A., & Hagan, M. S. (1994). The separate worlds of teenage siblings: An introduction to the study of the Nonshared Environment and Adolescent Development. In Hetherington, E. M., Reiss, D., & Plomin, R. (Eds.), Separate social worlds of siblings: The impact of nonshared environment on development (pp. 63–109). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Rowe, D. C. (1986). Genetic and environmental components of antisocial behavior: A study of 265 twin pairs. Criminology, 24, 513–532.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rowe, D. C., & Rogers, J. L. (in press). Behavioral genetics, adolescent deviance and “d”: Contributions and issues. In Adams, G. R. (Ed.), Advances in adolescent psychology. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Rutter, M., Macdonald, H., Le Couteur, A., Harrington, R., Bolton, P., & Bailey, A. (1990). Genetic factors in child psychiatric disorders: II. Empirical findings. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 31, 39–83.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Saudino, K. J., & Plomin, R. (1995). Tester-rated temperament at 14, 20, and 24 months: Environmental change and genetic continuity. Manuscript submitted for publication.Google Scholar
Sigafoos, A. D., Feinstein, C. B., Damond, M., & Reiss, D. (1988). The measurement of behavioral autonomy in adolescence: The Autonomous Functioning Checklist. In Feinstein, S. C. (Ed.), Adolescent psychiatry: Developmental and clinical studies (Vol. 15, pp. 432–462). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Steinberg, L., & Silverberg, S. B. (1986). The vicissitudes of autonomy in early adolescence. Child Development, 57, 841–851.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stevenson, J., & Fielding, J. (1985). Ratings of temperament in families of young twins. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 3, 143–152.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tanaka, J. S. (1993). Multifaceted conception of fit in structural equation models. In Bollen, K. A. & Long, J. S. (Eds.), Testing structural equation models (pp. 10–39). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Wentzel, K. R. (1991). Relations between social competence and academic achievement in early adolescence. Child Development, 62, 1066–1078.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wilson, R. S., & Matheny, A. P. Jr., (1986). Behavior genetics research in infant temperament: The Louisville twin study. In Plomin, R. & Dunn, J. (Eds.), The study of temperament: Changes, continuities and challenges (pp. 81–97). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Zill, N. (1985). Behavior problems scales developed from the 1981 Child Health Supplement to the National Health Interview Survey. Washington, DC: Child Trends.Google Scholar