Siblings and Adolescent Weapon Carrying

• DOI: 10.1177/1541204016639354
• Author: Lacey N. Wallace
• Published date: 01 July 2017
• Date: 01 July 2017
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

Siblings and Adolescent

Weapon Carrying:

Contributions of Genetics,

Shared Environment, and

Nonshared Environment

Lacey N. Wallace

1

Abstract

Many past studies have observed evidence of sibling similarity and influence for delinquency and

substance use. However, studies of sibling similarity for adolescent weapon carrying, particularly for

weapons beyond firearms, are largely absent from the literature. The present study assesses sibling

similarity in weapon carrying as well as the relative contributions of genetics, shared environment,

and nonshared environment. Data are obtained from the first two waves of the National Long-

itudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health and analyzed using biometrical genetic models for twins

and actor–partner interdependence models for nontwins. Results indicate little, if any, contribution

stemming from genetics. There is also no evidence of a significant shared environment effect.

Instead, all or nearly all of the variation and similarity in weapon carrying among siblings are related

to the nonshared environment, particularly gang affiliation. Implications and possible extensions of

these findings are discussed.

Keywords

siblings, weapon carrying, genetics, nonshared environment

Introduction

In 2009, an average of 20 U.S. children and adolescents were hospitalized each day due to firearm

injuries (Leventhal, Gaither, & Sege, 2014). Juvenile offenders account for the majority of violent

crimes against those aged 8–15 (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention [OJJDP],

2005). As a result, understanding firearm-related behavior among adolescents is one avenue through

1

Department of Criminal Justice, Penn State Altoona, Altoona, PA, USA

Corresponding Author:

Lacey N. Wallace, Department of Criminal Justice, Penn State Altoona, 101G Cypress Building, 3000 Ivyside Park, Altoona,

PA 16601, USA.

Email: lno106@psu.edu

Youth Violence and JuvenileJustice

2017, Vol. 15(3) 264-280

ªThe Author(s) 2016

Reprints and permission:

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DOI: 10.1177/1541204016639354

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which these crimes can potentially be prevented. The present article focuses on adolescent weapon

carrying, which can include both firearms and other weapon types. Nearly 18%of respondents (28%

of males) to the 2013 High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey reported carrying a weapon at some

point in the past month; more than 5%reported carrying a gun (Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, 2014). Although less common, some adolescents also bring weapons to school. More

than 5%of respondents to the 2013 High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey reported carrying a

gun, knife, or club to school in the past 30 days (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014).

Approximately 7%of respondents reported that they were threatened or injured with a weapon on

school property at least once in the past year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014).

Unfortunately, much is still unknown about peer and sibling influence for this problematic behavior.

This study focuses on the role of siblings in particular. Sibling concordance of delinquent

behavior has been well established in the literature (Slomkowski, Rende, Conger, Simons, & Con-

ger, 2001; Tuvblad & Baker, 2011; Whiteman, Jensen, & Maggs, 2013). Lauritsen’s (1993)

research, for example, indicated that adolescent delinquency was concentrated among households;

10%of households in the sample accounted for 76%of all delinquent acts reported (Lauritsen, 1993,

p. 399). Similarly, Rowe, Rodgers, and Meseck-Bushey (1992) found that the correlation for delin-

quency in same-sex sibling dyads was roughly .30 for brothers, .28 for sisters, and .21 for mixed-sex

sibling pairs. Although these trends hold for various forms of delinquency, sibling similarity for

weapon carrying has not been underexplored.

Past research, however, indicates two key explanations for why similarity in this behavior might

be expected. The first, based on the principles of social learning, simply suggests that siblings

influence one another through imitation and modeling as well as through the process of interaction

(Akers, 2009; Whiteman et al., 2013). In other words, if one sibling carries a weapon, another sibling

may perceive this as acceptable or desirable and imitate the behavior. Since siblings report similar, if

not identical, access to guns in the home (Mocan & Tekin, 2006), this possibility is certainly

plausible. A second explanation is heritability. Research on aggression has found that roughly half

of the variation in aggressive behavior can be attributed to genetics (Tuvblad & Baker, 2011). Both

explanations suggest that siblings should be similar in weapon carrying behavior.

In contrast, some authors argue that siblings may be greatly influenced by nonshared environ-

ments. More than 40%of the respondents assessed by Daniels and Plomin (1985), for instance,

reported experiences that differed from those of their siblings in areas including parental treatment,

peer groups, and subjective exp eriences of events such as divo rce, romantic relationships, a nd

family problems. These differences were not significantly related to genetics and were believed

to originate with environmental variation either inside or outside of the home (Daniels & Plomin,

1985). If these nonshared experiences are indeed the driving factors behind adolescent weapon

carrying, then divergence between siblings would be expected rather than similarity. Unfortunately,

little research has empirically evaluated these possibilities.

One study that has addressed sibling similarity in weapon carrying found that 27%of variation in

weapon carrying is attributable to genetics (Connolly & Beaver, 2015). However, the study only

considered handgun carrying. Estimates for weapon carrying beyond handguns are unknown. To

address this omission, the present study examines three key questions. First, do siblings have similar

school weapon carrying frequencies? Second, to what extent does the weapon carrying of one sibling

in adolescence influence the subsequent weapon carrying behavior of another sibling? Third, how

does weapon carrying behavior among sibling pairs differ by genetic relatedness (R)? Together,

these questions address the degree of sibling similarity for weapon carrying as well as the origins of

similarity among siblings for this behavior.

The answers to these questions are important for youth violence prevention. Existing prevention

efforts focus on factors that influence juveniles outside of the home, such as gangs and peers. Little

research has investigated the possibility that weapon carrying might originate from influences within

Wallace 265