Skip to main content

Life-Course Persistent Antisocial Behavior and Accelerated Biological Aging in a Longitudinal Birth Cohort.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Langevin, S; Caspi, A; Barnes, JC; Brennan, G; Poulton, R; Purdy, SC; Ramrakha, S; Tanksley, PT; Thorne, PR; Wilson, G; Moffitt, TE
Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health
November 2022

Prior research shows that individuals who have exhibited antisocial behavior are in poorer health than their same-aged peers. A major driver of poor health is aging itself, yet research has not investigated relationships between offending trajectories and biological aging. We tested the hypothesis that individuals following a life-course persistent (LCP) antisocial trajectory show accelerated aging in midlife. Trajectories of antisocial behavior from age 7 to 26 years were studied in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, a population-representative birth cohort (N = 1037). Signs of aging were assessed at age 45 years using previously validated measures including biomarkers, clinical tests, and self-reports. First, we tested whether the association between antisocial behavior trajectories and midlife signs of faster aging represented a decline from initial childhood health. We then tested whether decline was attributable to tobacco smoking, antipsychotic medication use, debilitating illnesses in adulthood, adverse exposures in childhood (maltreatment, socioeconomic disadvantage) and adulthood (incarceration), and to childhood self-control difficulties. Study members with a history of antisocial behavior had a significantly faster pace of biological aging by midlife, and this was most evident among individuals following the LCP trajectory (β, 0.22, 95%CI, 0.14, 0.28, p ≤ 0.001). This amounted to 4.3 extra years of biological aging between ages 25-45 years for Study members following the LCP trajectory compared to low-antisocial trajectory individuals. LCP offenders also experienced more midlife difficulties with hearing (β, -0.14, 95%CI, -0.21, -0.08, p ≤ 0.001), balance (β, -0.13, 95%CI, -0.18, -0.06, p ≤ 0.001), gait speed (β, -0.18, 95%CI, -0.24, -0.10, p ≤ 0.001), and cognitive functioning (β, -0.25, 95%CI, -0.31, -0.18, p ≤ 0.001). Associations represented a decline from childhood health. Associations persisted after controlling individually for tobacco smoking, antipsychotic medication use, midlife illnesses, maltreatment, socioeconomic status, incarceration, and childhood self-control difficulties. However, the cumulative effect of these lifestyle characteristics together explained why LCP offenders have a faster Pace of Aging than their peers. While older adults typically age-out of crime, LCP offenders will likely age-into the healthcare system earlier than their chronologically same-aged peers. Preventing young people from offending is likely to have substantial benefits for health, and people engaging in a LCP trajectory of antisocial behaviors might be the most in need of health promotion programs. We offer prevention and intervention strategies to reduce the financial burden of offenders on healthcare systems and improve their wellbeing.

Duke Scholars

Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats

Published In

International journal of environmental research and public health

DOI

EISSN

1660-4601

ISSN

1661-7827

Publication Date

November 2022

Volume

19

Issue

21

Start / End Page

14402

Related Subject Headings

  • Toxicology
  • Middle Aged
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Humans
  • Birth Cohort
  • Antisocial Personality Disorder
  • Antipsychotic Agents
  • Aging
  • Aged
  • Adult
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Langevin, S., Caspi, A., Barnes, J. C., Brennan, G., Poulton, R., Purdy, S. C., … Moffitt, T. E. (2022). Life-Course Persistent Antisocial Behavior and Accelerated Biological Aging in a Longitudinal Birth Cohort. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(21), 14402. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114402
Langevin, Stephanie, Ashalom Caspi, J. C. Barnes, Grace Brennan, Richie Poulton, Suzanne C. Purdy, Sandhya Ramrakha, et al. “Life-Course Persistent Antisocial Behavior and Accelerated Biological Aging in a Longitudinal Birth Cohort.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 21 (November 2022): 14402. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114402.
Langevin S, Caspi A, Barnes JC, Brennan G, Poulton R, Purdy SC, et al. Life-Course Persistent Antisocial Behavior and Accelerated Biological Aging in a Longitudinal Birth Cohort. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2022 Nov;19(21):14402.
Langevin, Stephanie, et al. “Life-Course Persistent Antisocial Behavior and Accelerated Biological Aging in a Longitudinal Birth Cohort.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 19, no. 21, Nov. 2022, p. 14402. Epmc, doi:10.3390/ijerph192114402.
Langevin S, Caspi A, Barnes JC, Brennan G, Poulton R, Purdy SC, Ramrakha S, Tanksley PT, Thorne PR, Wilson G, Moffitt TE. Life-Course Persistent Antisocial Behavior and Accelerated Biological Aging in a Longitudinal Birth Cohort. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2022 Nov;19(21):14402.

Published In

International journal of environmental research and public health

DOI

EISSN

1660-4601

ISSN

1661-7827

Publication Date

November 2022

Volume

19

Issue

21

Start / End Page

14402

Related Subject Headings

  • Toxicology
  • Middle Aged
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Humans
  • Birth Cohort
  • Antisocial Personality Disorder
  • Antipsychotic Agents
  • Aging
  • Aged
  • Adult