Role of monoamine oxidase A genotype and psychosocial factors in male adolescent criminal activityShow others and affiliations
2006 (English)In: Biological Psychiatry, ISSN 0006-3223, E-ISSN 1873-2402, Vol. 59, no 2, p. 121-127Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Background: A number of important sociological, psychological, and biological predictors of adolescent criminal behavior have been identified during the most recent decades. The aim of this study was to replicate recent findings that interactions between a polymorphism in the monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) gene promoter region and psychosocial factors might predict male adolescent criminal activity. Methods: A cross-sectional study with a randomized sample from the total population of 16- and 19-year-olds from the county of Vastmanland, Sweden. Eighty-one male adolescents, who volunteered to participate, were randomly selected from groups representing different degrees of deviant risk behavior. Results: The present study strongly supports the notion that carrying the 3-repeat allele of the MAO-A- gene promoter increases the risk of male adolescent criminal behavior, when interacting with psychosocial factors. No effects at all of the MAO-A genotype on adolescent criminal activity were found when MAO-A genotype was considered alone (i.e., without its psychosocial context). The explained variance of the bio-psychosocial model (controlling for MAO-A) in this study exceeded the psychosocial model by 12%. Conclusions. The findings support the notion that genotype and psychosocial factors interact to precipitate male adolescent criminal behavior.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Uppsala Univ, Clin Res Ctr, Cent Hosp Vasteras, S-72189 Vasteras, Sweden. Uppsala Univ, Dept Neurosci, Pharmacol Unit, S-72189 Uppsala, Sweden.: ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC , 2006. Vol. 59, no 2, p. 121-127
Keywords [en]
adolescents, criminology, genes, social support, environment, linear models
National Category
Clinical Medicine
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-52062DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.06.024ISI: 000234871600004PubMedID: 16125147Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-30944445557OAI: oai:DiVA.org:mdh-52062DiVA, id: diva2:1484346
2020-10-282020-10-282021-01-20Bibliographically approved