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Genetics and Crime: Integrating New Genomic Discoveries Into Psychological Research About Antisocial Behavior.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Wertz, J; Caspi, A; Belsky, DW; Beckley, AL; Arseneault, L; Barnes, JC; Corcoran, DL; Hogan, S; Houts, RM; Morgan, N; Odgers, CL; Prinz, JA ...
Published in: Psychological science
May 2018

Drawing on psychological and sociological theories of crime causation, we tested the hypothesis that genetic risk for low educational attainment (assessed via a genome-wide polygenic score) is associated with criminal offending. We further tested hypotheses of how polygenic risk relates to the development of antisocial behavior from childhood through adulthood. Across the Dunedin and Environmental Risk (E-Risk) birth cohorts of individuals growing up 20 years and 20,000 kilometers apart, education polygenic scores predicted risk of a criminal record with modest effects. Polygenic risk manifested during primary schooling in lower cognitive abilities, lower self-control, academic difficulties, and truancy, and it was associated with a life-course-persistent pattern of antisocial behavior that onsets in childhood and persists into adulthood. Crime is central in the nature-nurture debate, and findings reported here demonstrate how molecular-genetic discoveries can be incorporated into established theories of antisocial behavior. They also suggest that improving school experiences might prevent genetic influences on crime from unfolding.

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Published In

Psychological science

DOI

EISSN

1467-9280

ISSN

0956-7976

Publication Date

May 2018

Volume

29

Issue

5

Start / End Page

791 / 803

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • United Kingdom
  • Risk Factors
  • Problem Behavior
  • New Zealand
  • Multifactorial Inheritance
  • Male
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Humans
  • Genome-Wide Association Study
 

Citation

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ICMJE
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Wertz, J., Caspi, A., Belsky, D. W., Beckley, A. L., Arseneault, L., Barnes, J. C., … Moffitt, T. E. (2018). Genetics and Crime: Integrating New Genomic Discoveries Into Psychological Research About Antisocial Behavior. Psychological Science, 29(5), 791–803. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797617744542
Wertz, J., A. Caspi, D. W. Belsky, A. L. Beckley, L. Arseneault, J. C. Barnes, D. L. Corcoran, et al. “Genetics and Crime: Integrating New Genomic Discoveries Into Psychological Research About Antisocial Behavior.Psychological Science 29, no. 5 (May 2018): 791–803. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797617744542.
Wertz J, Caspi A, Belsky DW, Beckley AL, Arseneault L, Barnes JC, et al. Genetics and Crime: Integrating New Genomic Discoveries Into Psychological Research About Antisocial Behavior. Psychological science. 2018 May;29(5):791–803.
Wertz, J., et al. “Genetics and Crime: Integrating New Genomic Discoveries Into Psychological Research About Antisocial Behavior.Psychological Science, vol. 29, no. 5, May 2018, pp. 791–803. Epmc, doi:10.1177/0956797617744542.
Wertz J, Caspi A, Belsky DW, Beckley AL, Arseneault L, Barnes JC, Corcoran DL, Hogan S, Houts RM, Morgan N, Odgers CL, Prinz JA, Sugden K, Williams BS, Poulton R, Moffitt TE. Genetics and Crime: Integrating New Genomic Discoveries Into Psychological Research About Antisocial Behavior. Psychological science. 2018 May;29(5):791–803.
Journal cover image

Published In

Psychological science

DOI

EISSN

1467-9280

ISSN

0956-7976

Publication Date

May 2018

Volume

29

Issue

5

Start / End Page

791 / 803

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • United Kingdom
  • Risk Factors
  • Problem Behavior
  • New Zealand
  • Multifactorial Inheritance
  • Male
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Humans
  • Genome-Wide Association Study