Youth conduct problems are a serious public health concern, but little progress has been made in understanding their causes. This proposal addresses the genetic epidemiology of youth conduct problems to advance knowledge of their causes. We propose to analyze data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth, which is a nationally-representative sample of 14-21 year olds first interviewed in 1979 (NLSY79). The NLSY79 includes 4,926 females who are now 37-45 years old. Since 1986, assessments have been conducted of all offspring of these women (Children of NLSY79 Study). Longitudinal data are now available on child conduct problems from ages 4 through 11 years for 5,122 offspring and on delinquent behavior through adolescence for 2,590 offspring. Because the participants are both vertically related (mother and offspring) and horizontally related (full siblings, half-siblings, etc.), their kinship links allow us to use behavior genetic methods to study genetic and environmental influences on youth conduct problems. We will test hypotheses derived from a causal model of the origins of conduct problems that integrates hypotheses from social learning theory, developmental theory, and behavior genetics. Our model shares T. E. Moffitt's assertion that the causes of adolescent delinquency are different for youth who follow different developmental pathways. We will provide the first strong test of this fundamental hypothesis by determining if genetic and environmental influences on adolescent delinquency vary as a function of the youth's level of conduct problems during childhood. We will examine sex differences in the development of conduct problems and test for possible sex differences in causal influences. Behavior genetic analyses typical treat environmental influences as anonymous, but we will estimate the extent to which a number of maternal, family, and community variables, which are important to both scientific theory and public policy, are causally related to youth conduct problems through genetic and environmental correlations. These include maternal age at first birth, maternal smoking during pregnancy, family socioeconomic status, neighborhood socioeconomic status, neighborhood social disorganization, and urbanicity.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH070025-04
Application #
7161310
Study Section
Social Sciences, Nursing, Epidemiology and Methods 4 (SNEM)
Program Officer
Zehr, Julia L
Project Start
2004-01-01
Project End
2008-12-31
Budget Start
2007-01-01
Budget End
2008-12-31
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2007
Total Cost
$348,764
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Chicago
Department
Psychiatry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
005421136
City
Chicago
State
IL
Country
United States
Zip Code
60637
Goodnight, Jackson A; Lahey, Benjamin B; Van Hulle, Carol A et al. (2012) A quasi-experimental analysis of the influence of neighborhood disadvantage on child and adolescent conduct problems. J Abnorm Psychol 121:95-108
Jaffee, Sara R; Van Hulle, Carol; Rodgers, Joseph L (2011) Effects of nonmaternal care in the first 3 years on children's academic skills and behavioral functioning in childhood and early adolescence: a sibling comparison study. Child Dev 82:1076-91
D'Onofrio, Brian M; Lahey, Benjamin B (2010) Biosocial Influences on the Family: A Decade Review. J Marriage Fam 72:762-782
D'Onofrio, Brian M; Goodnight, Jackson A; Van Hulle, Carol A et al. (2009) Maternal age at childbirth and offspring disruptive behaviors: testing the causal hypothesis. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 50:1018-28
Harden, K Paige; D'Onofrio, Brian M; Van Hulle, Carol et al. (2009) Population density and youth antisocial behavior. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 50:999-1008
Lahey, Benjamin B; D'Onofrio, Brian M; Waldman, Irwin D (2009) Using epidemiologic methods to test hypotheses regarding causal influences on child and adolescent mental disorders. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 50:53-62
D'Onofrio, Brian M; Goodnight, Jackson A; Van Hulle, Carol A et al. (2009) A quasi-experimental analysis of the association between family income and offspring conduct problems. J Abnorm Child Psychol 37:415-29
Van Hulle, Carol A; Waldman, Irwin D; D'Onofrio, Brian M et al. (2009) Developmental structure of genetic influences on antisocial behavior across childhood and adolescence. J Abnorm Psychol 118:711-21
Lahey, Benjamin B; Van Hulle, Carol A; Rathouz, Paul J et al. (2009) Are oppositional-defiant and hyperactive-inattentive symptoms developmental precursors to conduct problems in late childhood?: genetic and environmental links. J Abnorm Child Psychol 37:45-58
Lahey, Benjamin B; Van Hulle, Carol A; Keenan, Kate et al. (2008) Temperament and parenting during the first year of life predict future child conduct problems. J Abnorm Child Psychol 36:1139-58

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