Sex differences in predictors of antisocial behavior in adoptees
R. J. Cadoret and C. Cain
The present study follows up adoptees separated at birth from the biologic
parents to assess the importance of genetic and environmental factors in
adolescent antisocial behavior. The dependent variable is an antisocial
symptom count that tallies antisocial but not necessarily criminal
behaviors in adolescence. The independent variables are of two types,
genetic and environmental. Genetic variables refer to psychiatric diagnoses
of the biologic family. Environmental variables are those identified by
previous research as associated with adolescent antisocial behavior. Our
results indicate that boys are more vulnerable than girls to the adverse
effects of a psychiatrically ill adoptive family member or divorce in the
adoptive parents. There is not a significant sex difference in genetic
predictors. In the total sample, the genetic variables that predict
antisocial behavior are having an antisocial or alcoholic biologic
relative. This finding is in agreement with other heritability studies of
antisocial behavior.
