Journal article
Social Adversity, Genetic Variation, Street Code, and Aggression: A Genetically Informed Model of Violent Behavior
Youth violence and juvenile justice, Vol.10(1), pp.3-24
01/2012
DOI: 10.1177/1541204011422087
PMID: 23785260
Abstract
Elijah Anderson (1997, 1999) argues that exposure to extreme community disadvantage, residing in "street" families, and persistent discrimination encourage many African Americans to develop an oppositional culture that he labels the "code of the street." Importantly, while the adverse conditions described by Anderson increase the probability of adopting the code of the street, most of those exposed to these adverse conditions do not do so. The present study examines the extent to which genetic variation accounts for these differences. Although the diathesis-stress model guides most genetically informed behavior science, the present study investigates hypotheses derived from the differential susceptibility perspective (Belsky & Pluess, 2009). This model posits that some people are genetically predisposed to be more susceptible to environmental influence than others. An important implication of the model is that those persons most vulnerable to adverse social environments are the same ones who reap the most benefit from environmental support. Using longitudinal data from a sample of several hundred African American males, we examined the manner in which variants in three genes - 5-HTT, DRD4, and MAOA - modulate the effect of community and family adversity on adoption of the street code and aggression. We found strong support for the differential susceptibility perspective. When the social environment was adverse, individuals with these genetic variants manifested more commitment to the street code and aggression than those with other genotypes, whereas when adversity was low they demonstrated less commitment to the street code and aggression than those with other genotypes.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Social Adversity, Genetic Variation, Street Code, and Aggression: A Genetically Informed Model of Violent Behavior
- Creators
- Ronald L Simons - Department of Sociology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USAMan Kit Lei - Department of Sociology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USAEric A Stewart - Florida State University, Tallahassee, FloridaSteven R. H Beach - Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USAGene H Brody - Department of Child and Family Development, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USARobert A Philibert - Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USAFrederick X Gibbons - Department of Psychology and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Youth violence and juvenile justice, Vol.10(1), pp.3-24
- DOI
- 10.1177/1541204011422087
- PMID
- 23785260
- NLM abbreviation
- Youth Violence Juv Justice
- ISSN
- 1541-2040
- eISSN
- 1556-9330
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 01/2012
- Academic Unit
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering; Psychiatry; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
- Record Identifier
- 9984070981002771
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