Genetic and Environmental Overlap Between Substance Use and Delinquency in Adolescence: An Analysis by Same-Sex Twins

• Author: Todd A. Armstrong,Danielle L. Boisvert,Eric J. Connolly,Brian B. Boutwell,Jamie C. Vaske
• DOI: 10.1177/1541204018756469
• Published date: 01 April 2019
• Date: 01 April 2019
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

Genetic and Environmental

Overlap Between Substance

Use and Delinquency in

Adolescence: An Analysis

by Same-Sex Twins

Danielle L. Boisvert

1

, Eric J. Connolly

1

, Jamie C. Vaske

2

,

Todd A. Armstrong

3

, and Brian B. Boutwell

4

Abstract

During adolescence, many teens begin to experiment with substances and engage in delinquent

behavior. The current study seeks to examine whether and to what extent genetic and environ-

mental factors contribute to the association between substance use (i.e., marijuana and alcohol) and

different forms of delinquent offending (i.e., violent and nonviolent) across males and females.

Analyses were based on same-sex twins (N¼1,072) from the sibling subsample of the National

Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). The results revealed moderate to

large genetic overlap between substance use and delinquent behavior for males. Much of the cov-

ariation between alcohol use and offending behavior for females was attributable to common

environmental factors, while common genetic factors explained a large portion of the overlap

between marijuana use and offending in males and females. The implications of these findings for sex

differences in prevention and intervention efforts are discussed from a biosocial perspective.

Keywords

alcohol, biosocial, delinquency, genetics, marijuana, sex

During adolescence, substance use and delinquency often co-occur in a reciprocal manner, with

delinquency predicting substance use and substance use increasing one’s risk for engaging in

delinquent behavior (D’Amico, Edelen, Miles, & Morral, 2008). Part of this reciprocal relationship

may be explained by a variety of risk factors common to both behaviors. For instance, research has

1

Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, USA

2

Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC, USA

3

School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Nebraska Omaha, Omaha, NE, USA

4

College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA

Corresponding Author:

Danielle L. Boisvert, Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX 77341,

USA.

Email: d.boisvert@shsu.edu

Youth Violence and JuvenileJustice

2019, Vol. 17(2) 154-173

ªThe Author(s) 2018

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DOI: 10.1177/1541204018756469

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found that low self-control, exposure to deviant peers, and punitive parenting are positively asso-

ciated with property crime, violent delinquency, and drug use (Alarid, Burton, & Cullen, 2000;

LaGrange & Silverman, 1999). At the same time, parallel lines of research have provided evidence

suggesting that individual differences across each of these phenotypic outcomes (e.g., self-control,

peer affiliation) are heavily influenced by genetic factors (Beaver et al., 2009). Put differently,

correlates common to both substance abuse and delinquency are heritable outcomes (Korhonen

et al., 2012). This raises the possibility that genetic factors common to both outcomes may be

partially responsible for the covariation between substance use and offending behavior.

Behavioral and molecular genetic studies have shown that genetic and environmental factors

contribute to the co-occurrence of various forms of substance use (e.g., alcohol, cigarettes, drugs)

and antisocial behaviors, including conduct disorder, aggression, externalizing behaviors, and delin-

quency (Cerda´, Sagdeo, Johnson, & Galea, 2010; Knopik, Heath, Bucholz, Madden, & Waldron,

2009; McAdams, Rowe, Rijsdijk, Maughan, & Eley, 2012). An examination of these relationships

by sex has found mixed results, with some studies showing that genetic and environmental factors

explaining comorbidity are similar for males and females (Knopik et al., 2009; Rose, Dick, Viken,

Pulkkinen, & Kaprio, 2004; von der Pahlen et al., 2008), while others contend that shared genetic

factors explain comorbidity among females and that comorbidity among males is best explained by

shared environmental effects (Miles, van den Bree, & Pickens, 2002). In an effort to shed light on

these mixed findings and to further our understanding of the co-occurrence of substance use and

delinquent behaviors in adolescence, the current study examines the genetic and environmental

overlap between substance use (e.g., alcohol and marijuana) and delinquency (e.g., violent and

nonviolent) in same-sex twin adolescents.

Substance Use and Delinquent Involvement

Adolescence is a time when many teenagers begin to experiment with substances, including alcohol

and marijuana, and start to engage in other forms of delinquent acts as well. Results from the

National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (2015) suggest that approximately 2.4 million adolescents

between the age of 12 and 17 (roughly 1 in 10 adolescents in the United States) report consuming

alcohol and that approximately 1.8 million adolescents between the age of 12 and 17 experiment

with marijuana. Findings from the Monitoring the Future Study (2016) also show that the prevalence

of marijuana use within the past month increases from 5.4%in the 8th grade to 22.5%in the 12th

grade (Johnston, O’Malley, Bachman, Schulenberg, & Institute for Social Research, 2016). Similar

results are reported for alcohol consumption with 7.3%of 8th graders reporting consumption within

the past 30 days compared to 33.2%of 12th graders (Johnston, O’Malley, Bachman, Schulenberg, &

Institute for Social Research, 2016). In addition to drug and alcohol use, adolescence is a period in

which teens are more likely to engage in delinquent behaviors. Studies have shown that the fre-

quency of delinquent behaviors significantl y increases from late childhood (age 10–11) to lat e

adolescence (age 17–18; Jennings, Maldonado-Molina, & Komro, 2010; van Lier, Vitaro, Barker,

Koot, & Tremblay, 2009; Wiesner & Windle, 2004).

Perhaps not surprisingly, given the concomitant increase in substance use and delinquent beha-

viors during adolescence, Newman and colleagues’ (1996) analysis of youths from the Dunedin

Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study revealed that substance abuse and conduct dis-

order tend to co-occur. Specifically, 43%of respondents who had a substance use disorder at age 21

also had a history of conduct disorder. Overall, studies on this topic seem to converge to demonstrate

that substance use and delinquent involvement tend to co-occur, particularly in adolescence

(Dembo, Pacheco, Schmeidler, Fisher, & Cooper, 1998; Felson, Savolainen, Aaltonen, & Moust-

gaard, 2008; White, Loeber, Stouthamer-Loeber, & Farrington, 1999). There is evidence that the co-

occurrence of substance use and antisocial behavior during adolescence is the result of reciprocal

Boisvert et al. 155