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Do etiological influences on aggression overlap with those on rule breaking? A meta-analysis
1Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. burts@msu.edu
Psychological Medicine
|August 23, 2012
Summary
Genetic and environmental factors influencing aggressive (AGG) and rule-breaking (RB) behaviors are largely distinct. This meta-analysis clarifies the etiological overlap between these dimensions of antisocial behavior.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Genetics
- Psychopathology
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Aggressive (AGG) and non-aggressive rule-breaking (RB) are dimensions of antisocial behavior.
- Previous studies show differential heritability for AGG and RB.
- Disagreement exists regarding the overlap of genetic and environmental factors influencing AGG and RB.
Purpose of the Study:
- To clarify the extent of etiological overlap between AGG and RB.
- To quantify the shared genetic and environmental influences on AGG and RB.
Main Methods:
- Meta-analysis of 11 twin/sibling studies (n=12923 pairs).
- Examined covariation between AGG and RB using genetic and environmental correlations.
- Analyzed data using mixed-effect models.
Main Results:
- Genetic influences on AGG were largely distinct from RB (38.4% overlap).
- Non-shared environmental influences on AGG also showed limited overlap with RB (10.2%).
- Age and informant type moderated the extent of etiological overlap.
Conclusions:
- Significant etiological distinctions exist between AGG and RB.
- Future conceptualizations of antisocial behavior should incorporate AGG and RB dimensions.
- Findings support a dimensional approach to understanding antisocial behavior.
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