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The propensity for aggressive behavior and lifetime incarceration risk: A test for gene-environment interaction (G × E) using whole-genome data

Publication ,  Journal Article
Barnes, JC; Liu, H; Motz, RT; Tanksley, PT; Kail, R; Beckley, AL; Belsky, DW; Domingue, BW; Moffitt, TE; Pratt, TC; Wertz, J
Published in: Aggression and Violent Behavior
November 1, 2019

Incarceration is a disruptive event that is experienced by a considerable proportion of the United States population. Research has identified social factors that predict incarceration risk, but scholars have called for a focus on the ways that individual differences combine with social factors to affect incarceration risk. Our study is an initial attempt to heed this call using whole-genome data. We use data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) (N = 6716) to construct a genome-wide measure of genetic propensity for aggressive behavior and use it to predict lifetime incarceration risk. We find that participants with a higher genetic propensity for aggression are more likely to experience incarceration, but the effect is stronger for males than females. Importantly, we identify a gene-environment interaction (G × E)—genetic propensity is reduced, substantively and statistically, to a non-significant predictor for males raised in homes where at least one parent graduated high school. We close by placing these findings in the broader context of concerns that have been raised about genetics research in criminology.

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Published In

Aggression and Violent Behavior

DOI

EISSN

1873-6335

ISSN

1359-1789

Publication Date

November 1, 2019

Volume

49

Related Subject Headings

  • Criminology
  • 5205 Social and personality psychology
  • 5201 Applied and developmental psychology
  • 4402 Criminology
  • 1701 Psychology
  • 1602 Criminology
  • 1117 Public Health and Health Services
 

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Barnes, J. C., Liu, H., Motz, R. T., Tanksley, P. T., Kail, R., Beckley, A. L., … Wertz, J. (2019). The propensity for aggressive behavior and lifetime incarceration risk: A test for gene-environment interaction (G × E) using whole-genome data. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2019.07.002
Barnes, J. C., H. Liu, R. T. Motz, P. T. Tanksley, R. Kail, A. L. Beckley, D. W. Belsky, et al. “The propensity for aggressive behavior and lifetime incarceration risk: A test for gene-environment interaction (G × E) using whole-genome data.” Aggression and Violent Behavior 49 (November 1, 2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2019.07.002.
Barnes JC, Liu H, Motz RT, Tanksley PT, Kail R, Beckley AL, et al. The propensity for aggressive behavior and lifetime incarceration risk: A test for gene-environment interaction (G × E) using whole-genome data. Aggression and Violent Behavior. 2019 Nov 1;49.
Barnes, J. C., et al. “The propensity for aggressive behavior and lifetime incarceration risk: A test for gene-environment interaction (G × E) using whole-genome data.” Aggression and Violent Behavior, vol. 49, Nov. 2019. Scopus, doi:10.1016/j.avb.2019.07.002.
Barnes JC, Liu H, Motz RT, Tanksley PT, Kail R, Beckley AL, Belsky DW, Domingue BW, Moffitt TE, Pratt TC, Wertz J. The propensity for aggressive behavior and lifetime incarceration risk: A test for gene-environment interaction (G × E) using whole-genome data. Aggression and Violent Behavior. 2019 Nov 1;49.
Journal cover image

Published In

Aggression and Violent Behavior

DOI

EISSN

1873-6335

ISSN

1359-1789

Publication Date

November 1, 2019

Volume

49

Related Subject Headings

  • Criminology
  • 5205 Social and personality psychology
  • 5201 Applied and developmental psychology
  • 4402 Criminology
  • 1701 Psychology
  • 1602 Criminology
  • 1117 Public Health and Health Services