Biosocial Development and Delinquent Involvement

• Author: John Paul Wright,Kevin M. Beaver
• DOI: 10.1177/1541204004273318
• Published date: 01 April 2005
• Date: 01 April 2005
• Subject Matter: Articles

10.1177/1541204004273318Youth Violence and Juvenile JusticeBeaver, Wright / DEVELOPMENT AND DELINQUENT INVOLVEMENT

BIOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND

DELINQUENT INVOLVEMENT

Kevin M. Beaver

John Paul Wright

University of Cincinnati

In this article, we examine the influence of pubertal development on misbehavior, as

well as examine a series of Gene Environment Interactions. Specifically, we examine

whether the onset of puberty interacts with preexisting temperamental differences and

whether puberty influences peer groups selection. The data for this study come from the

public-use version of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a nationally

representative sample of 6,504 adolescents. The results show that pubertal development

is a robust predictor of misbehavior (especially for boys) and that puberty interacts with

individual differences and with peer group affiliation.

Keywords: biosocial; delinquency; peers; puberty

One of the most obvious changes youths undergo occurs at the start of puberty.

Indeed, it is this transition that demarcates the transition from childhood to adolescence.

The onset of puberty significantly increases androgen levels—sex specific hormones that

cause the body to become sexually reproductive—and is accompanied by a host of chemical

and physical changes. Many of these changes are quite visible. Males, for example, develop

facial hair, a deeper voice, and increased muscle mass. Females, too, acquire secondary sex

characteristics along with the capacity to bear children. Overall, these multifaceted and visi-

ble biological changes identify adolescence as a transitional period between childhood and

an adult life course that is marked by the capacity for sexual reproduction (Smith, Udry, &

Morris, 1985).

The physiological changes youths undergo during puberty occur in conjunction with

a variety of social changes. Many of these changes involve youths spending less time with

their parents and, conversely, more time with their friends. As recent evidence makes clear,

peers take on a central importance in the social lives of adolescents (Warr, 2002). During

this time period, youths begin to date, work at formal jobs, and drive automobiles, escaping

the constant surveillance of their parents. These varied changes in the social landscape

of youth have been linked to greater misconduct (Agnew, 1990; Ploeger, 1997; Wright,

Cullen, & Williams, 2002).

The close nexus between the biological changes accompanied by the onset of puberty

and the variety of social changes that occurs in adolescence draws attention to the interplay

between biology and the social world. At a minimum, this linkage hints at a developmental

process that is biosocial, that is, a process where biology interacts with, or is intertwined

with, social processes and behavior (Raine, 2002). Even so, research has typically focused

on documenting the effects of social influences, such as delinquent peer groups, on delin-

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Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, Vol. 3 No. 2, April 2005 168-192

DOI: 10.1177/1541204004273318

© 2005 Sage Publications

quent involvement. Very little research, however, has focused on the ways in which biolog-

ical changes in adolescents directly or indirectly influence delinquency. Instead, as Gove

(1994) has cogently articulated, “Sociologists [have paid] little attention to the biological

and psychological components of human behavior, and it is now clear that these processes

play an important role in shaping—and motivating—behavior” (p. 387).

In this article, we examine the effects puberty has on delinquency. We use a large

national data set that also allows us to examine the possible interactive effects between

puberty and individual differences and the effects puberty has on selection into deviant peer

groups. Given that pubertal development is experienced differently for males and females,

we also analyze our results separately by gender. To foreshadow our findings, it appears

that pubertal development is closely related to a variety of individual differences and to peer

group selection, especially for boys.

Adolescent Biological Development and Delinquency

The onset of puberty appears to place adolescents at a greater risk for becoming

involved in crime and disrepute. Recent work by Felson and Haynie (2002), who analyzed

data from the National Longitudinal Adolescent Health Study (Add Health), found that

adolescent boys who were more physically developed than their peers were more likely to

engage in property crimes, drug use, violence, and sexual behavior. Additionally, they

assessed whether the relationship between pubertal development and delinquency was

mediated by risk-taking preferences, social maladjustment, dominance, or individual

autonomy. Their analyses did not detect any significant association between these measures

and puberty, suggesting that the effects of pubertal development on delinquency were, at

least in their data, direct. They concluded, however, that “its [pubertal development] effects

are comparable in strength to the effects of peer delinquency and school performance. ...Its

effect is stronger than the effects of socioeconomic status, race, and family structure”

(Felson & Haynie, 2002, p. 982).

Remarkably similar results were also garnered by Cota-Robles, Neiss, and Rowe

(2002) when they examined the effects of puberty on violent and nonviolent behavior. Also,

using the Add Health data, their analyses revealed that across different ethnic categories,

pubescent boys were significantly more likely to engage in a variety of problem behaviors.

In addition, pubescent youths were also more likely to be involved in less serious forms of

deviance, such as drug and alcohol use (Duncan, Ritter, Dornbusch, Gross, & Carlsmith,

1985; Flannery, Rowe, & Gulley, 1993; Lanza & Collins, 2002; Stattin & Magnusson,

1990; Tschann et al., 1994).

The adverse outcomes associated with puberty are not confined solely to antisocial

behaviors; puberty has also been reported to interfere with normal psychological function-

ing. Susman, Dorn, and Chrousos (1991), for example, found that high hormonal levels in

adolescent males predicted greater negative emotionality. Even more telling was that their

analysis revealed that increased hormone levels were predictive of emotional disturbances

1 year into the future. The findings for females, however, were consistently null. Ge, Con-

ger, and Elder (2001), in contrast, found that early maturing girls were the most likely to

report being depressed. Their results were not as strong or as consistent for boys. Taken

together, however, it appears that the effects of puberty on behavior and on psychosocial

adjustment may be sex specific and pervasive.

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