578 research outputs found
Introduction to the Special Issue: The Interplay Between Genetic Factors and the Peer Environment in Explaining Children\u27s Social Adjustment
Virtually all aspects of human development are subject to both genetic (i.e., heritable) and environmental influences that conjointly shape developmental outcomes through various mechanisms of geneâenvironment interplay. This special issue presents new research examining how the peer environment works together with genetic factors to influence childrenâs and adolescentsâ social development. To this end, three studies utilize a quantitative genetic approach, whereas two others use molecular genetic methodologies. Covering a wide age range from early childhood to early adulthood, the studies examine different processes of geneâenvironment correlation and geneâenvironment interaction while focusing on dyadic and group-based peer experiences (e.g., friendships, peer acceptance, and peer victimization) as well as on positive and negative aspects of social development (e.g., prosocial leadership and aggression). Overall, the findings from the studies in this special issue clearly illustrate that we need to consider how genetics and the peer environment effects work together if we are to gain a more complete picture of childrenâs and adolescentsâ social development
School Social Relations and Child Development:Gene-Environment Interplay
In the past, most theoretical perspectives on human development have focused on environmental causes of differences between children, but the consensus today is that genetic and environmental factors interact and reciprocally influence each other through gene-environment interplay. Most of the prior research has focused on genetic factors working together with family-related factors (e.g., socioeconomic status, parenting) or stressful life events and experiences (e.g., maltreatment) to explain differences in developmental outcomes. However, children spend many hours in educational settings interacting with peers and teachers who also can influence developmental adjustment and well-being. This chapter summarizes current knowledge about gene-and-school environment interplay among primary school-aged children through 12 years old (the average age that they transition to middle school), documenting relationship-based (i.e., teacher-child relationship, school friendships, peer acceptance and rejection, victimization) and context-based (e.g., school policies, classroom norms) factors as they pertain to child externalizing and internalizing symptoms. After describing gene-environment interplay mechanisms and genetic research methods, we present empirical examples of gene-and-school environment interplay that contributes to variation in child maladjustment. We conclude with a discussion of implications for theory, practice, and future directions in genetically informed research on the association between social relations in school and child development.</p
The CODAT wins project : the current status and recent findings of collaborative project of development of anthropometrical measures in twins
The COllaborative project of Development of Anthropometrical measures in Twins (CODATwins) project is a large international collaborative effort to analyze individual-level phenotype data from twins in multiple cohorts from different environments. The main objective is to
study factors that modify genetic and environmental variation of height, body mass index (BMI, kg/m2
) and size at birth, and additionally to
address other research questions such as long-term consequences of birth size. The project started in 2013 and is open to all twin projects in the
world having height and weight measures on twins with information on zygosity. Thus far, 54 twin projects from 24 countries have provided
individual-level data. The CODATwins database includes 489,981 twin individuals (228,635 complete twin pairs). Since many twin cohorts
have collected longitudinal data, there is a total of 1,049,785 height and weight observations. For many cohorts, we also have information on
birth weight and length, own smoking behavior and own or parental education. We found that the heritability estimates of height and BMI
systematically changed from infancy to old age. Remarkably, only minor differences in the heritability estimates were found across culturalâ
geographic regions, measurement time and birth cohort for height and BMI. In addition to genetic epidemiological studies, we looked at
associations of height and BMI with education, birth weight and smoking status. Within-family analyses examined differences within
same-sex and opposite-sex dizygotic twins in birth size and later development. The CODATwins project demonstrates the feasibility and
value of international collaboration to address gene-by-exposure interactions that require large sample sizes and address the effects of different
exposures across time, geographical regions and socioeconomic status
Can sports mitigate the effects of depression and aggression on peer rejection?
This study examined whether sports participation moderates the longitudinal link of depressive and aggressive symptoms with increased peer rejection. The sample consisted of 291 adolescents (50.5% girls), assessed at ages 12 and 13 years. Depressive and aggressive symptoms as well as peer rejection were assessed through peer nominations, whereas participation in team and individual sports was assessed via adolescents' self-reports. Regression analyses revealed that boys â but not girls â who displayed high levels of depressive symptoms experienced an increase in peer rejection. However, participation in team sports mitigated the association between depressive symptoms and increased peer rejection in boys, whereas participation in individual sports exacerbated that same association. Although aggressive symptoms were also associated with an increase in peer rejection for boys and girls, sports participation did not moderate this link. These results support the usefulness especially of team sports as part of prevention activities for vulnerable youth
Die "lebende Materie" der neurowissenschaftlichen Verbrechensforschung
"Der Essay möchte die aktuelle Suche nach dem typischen 'Verbrechergehirn' kritisch hinterfragen. Die Zukunftsversion einiger Neurowissenschaftler ist es, nahezu jedem (potenziellen) StraftÀter ins Gehirn zu blicken, denn dort wird der eigentliche Tatort vermutet. Damit geht eine Fundamentalkritik am Schuldstrafrecht einher, die in ihrem Kern eine Abschaffung des Konzeptes der Schuld und des freien Willens zu Gunsten einer Biologisierung des Strafrechts fordert. Der einstmals schuldige StraftÀter wird zum Sklaven seines Körpers degradiert. Aus einem konstruktivistischen Ansatz heraus soll hier ein momentan boomendes Körperbild auf seine historischen Bedingungen hinterfragt werden. Kann es sein, dass in einer logisch-kausalen VerbrechenserklÀrung der alte Mythos vom Bösen als Abweichung der Norm belebt wird?" (Autorenreferat)"This article critically challenges the search for the typical 'criminal mind'. It is the vision of some neuroscientists to gain insight into the mind of criminals where they suspect the actual site of crime. This view is followed by a fundamental critique concerning the system of criminal law based on the requirement of personal guilt. The concepts of guilt and free will are abandoned in favor of the biologization of criminal law where the former guilty delinquent is degraded to a mere slave of his body. Based on a constructivist approach, this article questions a currently popular body image by looking at its historical conditions. Is is possible, that a causal explication enlivens the old myth of the evil as deviation from normal conditions?" (author's abstract
Prospective links between friendship and early physical aggression : preliminary evidence supporting the role of friendship quality through a dyadic intervention
Positive friendships have been related to decreasing levels of childrenâs physical aggression over time. While this evidence calls for interventions aimed at helping children build good-quality friendships, tests of causality through experimental manipulations are still needed. The goal of this study was to examine whether an intervention aimed to increase dyadic friendship quality could decrease childrenâs physical aggression at the peer-group level over a school year. A total of 34 aggressive children and each childâs best friend were randomly assigned to two groups: an experimental condition where the members in each dyad participated together in 12 weekly intervention sessions and a no-intervention control condition. Multiple sources were used to evaluate changes in friendship quality and childrenâs physical aggression. Results showed an indirect effect of the intervention on decreasing levels of physical aggression through the improvement of one specific feature of friendship quality: conflict resolution. These results point to the usefulness of including this relational aspect in intervention programs targeting aggressive children
Variety of gambling activities from adolescence to age 30 and association with gambling problems: a 15âyear longitudinal study of a general population sample
Participants
A mixedâgender general population cohort assessed at ages 15 (nâ=â1882), 22 (nâ=â1785) and 30 (nâ=â1358).
Measurements
Adolescent and adult versions of the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS).
Findings
Groupâbased trajectory analysis identified three distinct trajectories: a lateâonset low trajectory (26.7% of sample) initiating gambling at age 22, an earlyâonset low trajectory (64.8% of sample), characterized by one to two different activities from age 15 onwards and a high trajectory (8.4% of sample), with an average of four to five different activities from age 15 to 30. Males (14.2%) were four times more likely to be on a high trajectory than females (3.5%) (Pâ<â0.001). Preferred types of gambling activities were similar across the three trajectories. Participants on a high trajectory reported higher gambling frequency at ages 15 and 30, and were more likely to experience problem gambling at age 30: 3.09 [95% confidence interval (CI)â=â1.66, 5.75] and 2.26 (95% CIâ=â1.27, 4.04) times more, respectively, than lateâonset low and earlyâonset low participants, even when socioâeconomic status (SES), frequency of gambling and problem gambling in adolescence, gender, age 30 education, SES and frequency of gambling were controlled.
Conclusions
Engaging in several different types of gambling in early adulthood appears to be a risk factor for emergence of problem gambling
Trajectories of gambling problems from mid-adolescence to age 30 in a general population cohort
Studies of gambling starting before adulthood in the general population are either cross-sectional, based on the stability of these behaviors between 2 time points, or cover a short developmental period. The present study aimed at investigating the developmental trajectories of gambling problems across 3 key periods of development, mid-adolescence, early adulthood, and age 30, in a mixed-gender cohort from the general population. Using a semiparametric mixture model, trajectories were computed based on self-reports collected at ages 15 (N = 1,882), 22 (N = 1,785), and 30 (N = 1,358). Two distinct trajectories were identified: 1 trajectory including males and females who were unlikely to have experienced gambling problems across the 15-year period, and 1 trajectory including participants likely to have experienced at least 1 problem over the last 12 months at each time of assessment. Participants following a high trajectory were predominantly male, participated frequently in 3 to 4 different gambling activities, and were more likely to report substance use and problems related to their alcohol and drug consumption at age 30. Thus, gambling problems in the general population are already observable at age 15 in a small group of individuals, who maintain some level of these problems through early adulthood, before moderately but significantly desisting by age 30, while also experiencing other addictive behaviors and related problem
Genetic and environmental influences on developmental trajectories of adolescent alcohol use
Adolescent alcohol use demonstrates distinct developmental trajectories with different times of onset, levels, and
rates of growth. Twin research on adolescent alcohol use has shown that genetic influences are consistent with a
gradual growth of risks, whereas non-shared environmental influences are more consistent with an accumulation
of risks over time. The current study investigated the relative contributions of genetic and environmental
influences on shaping different developmental trajectories of alcohol use through adolescence. Self-reported past
year alcohol use was collected from 877 Canadian twins (47.1% males) at age 13, 14, 15, and 17-year-old.
Growth mixture models were fit to examine different developmental trajectories of alcohol use, and biometric
liability threshold models were fit to investigate genetic and environmental influences on the liability of
belonging to identified trajectories. Three trajectories were identified: low (15.1%), early onset (8.2%), and
normative increasing (76.7%). Memberships in the low and early onset group were under genetic (27.6% and
34.7%), shared (42.4% and 21.5%), and non-shared environment influences (30.0% and 43.8%). Membership in
the normative increasing group was under genetic (37.7%) and non-shared environment influences (62.3%).
Non-shared environmental influences were significantly larger for the normative increasing trajectory than for
the low trajectory. These findings provide a more refined picture of genetic and environmental influences in the
development of alcohol use in subgroups of adolescents. Genetic and environmental influences both matter, but
to different degrees in different trajectories. Future research should identify specific shared and non-shared
environmental experiences that distinguish different trajectories
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