Social Work Today E-Zine

In one of the first studies to link molecular genetic variants to adolescent delinquency, sociological research published in a recent issue of the American Sociological Review identified three genetic predictors of delinquency that gain precision when considered together with social influences.

Sociologists from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill explored the interaction of genetics and social influences and identified three genetic polymorphisms that, when examined in the context of modulating social controls, are significant predictors of delinquency. These findings about gene–environment interactions suggest that certain genotypes and specific social control influences (eg, family characteristics and processes; popularity and friendship characteristics; school attendance factors) are mutually dependent on delinquency.

The present research is unique in that it systematically examines layers of social context simultaneously (ie, family dynamics, peer relations, and school-related variables) in relation to genetic factors. The study uses regression analysis to reveal nonintuitive and complex relations among the researched variables.

“While genetics appear to influence delinquency, social influences such as family, friends, and school seem to impact the expression of certain genetic variants,” says Guang Guo, PhD, the study’s lead author and a professor of sociology and faculty fellow at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill’s Carolina Population Center and Carolina Center for Genomic Sciences. “Positive social influences appear to reduce the delinquency-increasing effect of a genetic variant, whereas the effect of these genetic variants is amplified in the absence of social controls.”

“Our research confirms that genetic effects are not deterministic,” Guo says. “Gene expression may depend heavily on the environment.”

— Source: American Sociological Association