Genetic influences on antisocial behaviour, problem substance use and schizophrenia: evidence from quantitative genetic and molecular genetic studies
John C. Gunn, Pamela J. Taylor in Forensic Psychiatry, 2014
It remains true that a substantial amount of behavioural variation is environmental, and quantitative genetic studies in part serve to confirm this. For antisocial behaviour and problem substance use, environmental aspects include qualities in the family, neighbourhood, peers and school (see also chapter 7), while for schizophrenia reported risk factors include stressors, such as infections during pregnancy and/ or delivery complications as well as family stressors in some cases. Gene–environment interplay, however, also has a role, with increased genetic risk only manifest in the face of particular environmental stressors and/or increasing the chances that vulnerable individuals receive or create the additionally risk laden environmental. The development of antisocial behaviour and associated traits may be best represented as an accumulation of genetic and environmental risk factors, whereby their combined effects are considerably stronger than each individual effect (van den Bree and Pickworth, 2005). Several developmental pathways into antisocial behaviour are likely, alone or in relation to illness and/or personality disorder and/or substance misuse. Increasing recognition and understanding of these pathways will clarify optimal intervention points, to minimize secondary damage and maximize effective and efficient use of resources.
Changing people with programmes
David Jones in Working with Dangerous People, 2018
Maladaptive belief systems, cognitive biases and interpersonal skill deficits are regarded as a product of impoverished learning opportunities which do not represent underlying, immutable personality characteristics.7,25 This concept has clear implications for what constitutes appropriate targets for treatment. An important piece of research by Dodge and Frame26 indicated that the key cognitive process which differentiated aggressive from non-aggressive boys was the tendency to perceive hostile intent in the actions of others. Of particular relevance to the treatment of antisocial behaviour was not the diagnosis of being antisocial or psychopathic but on the psychological processes which were closely linked to violence. Blackburn25 argued that it was these cognitive and interpersonal processes which mediated, or provided the link, between personality disorder and violent behaviour. Therefore it was these factors that should form targets for intervention. More importantly, cognitive and interpersonal processes were amenable to intervention and were directly related to violence. Attempting to unravel ingrained personality structures which may have limited causal relevance to antisocial behaviour lacks clinical relevance when the reduction in recidivism is the objective of treatment.
Bullying
Quentin Spender, Judith Barnsley, Alison Davies, Jenny Murphy in Primary Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 2019
Children with obvious medical conditions,7 physical peculiarities, learning disabilities8 or other special needs may be especially vulnerable to bullying. Having a stammer or red hair may lead to victimisation. Many children with an autistic spectrum disorder are bullied at some time in their school life. Bullying is a source of distress and may be particularly prevalent among children seeing doctors, nurses or child mental health professionals. Victims may present with psychosomatic symptoms (see Chapter 41 on Physical Presentations of Emotional Problems),9,10 school refusal (seeChapter 21), anxiety (seeChapter 20), or post-traumatic stress disorder (see Chapter 37), and both bullies and victims may present with depression (seeChapter 26).11 Parents are often unaware of exactly what is going on, and teachers often deny that it occurs.12 Bullying is not just distressing for the victim at the time. A victim may find it hard to concentrate, which can affect his school performance; or he may become socially isolated and anxious – which may predispose to relationship problems and depression in adult life. Bullies often show other forms of antisocial behaviour and are more likely to become delinquent as adolescents and have criminal records as adults.
Neuroscience in Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology: An Introduction to the Special Issue
Published in International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 2019
Josanne D. M. van Dongen, Ingmar H. A. Franken
With regard to vulnerability to antisocial behavior, a meta-analysis (Ferguson, 2010) shows that genetic influences can account for the major part (56%) of antisocial behavior, unique non-genetic influences (such as brain injuries and infections) for a third, and shared, non-genetic influences (such as upbringing) for only a small part (11%). There is strong evidence that genetic factors, at least to a degree, are key in explaining individual differences in antisocial behavior. Although a large number of genes are associated with antisocial/psychopathic behavior, the MAOA (monoamine oxidase) and 5HTT (serotonin transporter) genes in particular seem to be candidate genes that are involved in antisocial behavior (Baskin-Sommers, 2016; Glenn, 2011; Gunter, Vaughn, & Philibert, 2010), because of their involvement in relevant cathecholamines such as serotonine and dopamine.
Some Ethical Considerations About the Use of Biomarkers for the Classification of Adult Antisocial Individuals
Published in International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 2019
Marko Jurjako, Luca Malatesti, Inti A. Brazil
However, finding biocognitive signatures does not sit well with psychological essentialist prejudices. The studies on biomarkers are not primarily about the genetic make-ups that determine antisocial behavior. In that regard, there is no inclination towards genetic determinism (Buckholtz & Meyer-Lindenberg, 2014). This research program also incorporates insights from studies indicating that antisocial behavior is a result of a complex interaction between environment, genes, and neurodevelopmental factors (Brazil, 2015). Even in the case of psychopathy, whose core traits seem to have a genetic basis, antisocial behavior seems to be a product of those genes in combination with external factors such as having an adverse early childhood (Gao, Raine, Chan, Venables, & Mednick, 2010). Furthermore, biocognitive fingerprints mostly denote correlations, and not causal factors, that necessarily lead to antisocial behavior. In this respect, there is also no inclination for thinking that whatever biomarkers are found will deterministically influence the behavior of individuals.
Behavioral Inhibition and Activation System Factors in Offenders and Non-Offenders
Published in International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 2022
P. W. Molleman, J. M. A. Driessen, C. Schilder, B. H. Bulten, I. A. Brazil
Besides inhibitory control, the lack of higher-level control over emotion systems governing temperament and personality could also render an individual more vulnerable to antisocial and criminal behavior, for which delinquents are assumed to be predisposed at the (neuro)biological level (Gregory et al., 2015; Raine & Liu, 1998). Moreover, motivational processes may also contribute to antisocial behavior in addition to deficiencies in inhibitory control. Thus, although the presence of specific inhibitory control deficits might serve as a broad marker of risk for antisocial and criminal behavior, the specific nature of this behavior could be determined by the underlying sensitivity of approach and withdrawal systems. Therefore, the roles of the behavioral inhibition and behavioral activation systems (BIS/BAS; Carver & White, 1994) have also been studied in the context of crime.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Aggression
- Antisocial Personality Disorder
- Conduct Disorder
- Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
- Hostility
- International Classification of Diseases
- Social Norm
- Temperament
- Prefrontal Cortex
- Manipulation
- Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
- International Classification of Diseases