title: Twin concordance for dishonorable discharge from the military: with a review of the genetics of antisocial behavior.
abstract: It has been hypothesized that there is a genetic component to antisocial behavior. To test this hypothesis, twin concordance for dishonorable discharge from the US military was examined among 15,924 twin pairs in the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council (NAS-NRC) Twin Registry, all of whom served in the US military. Of 62 dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs, at least one of whom had received a dishonorable discharge, one pair (1.6%) was concordant for dishonorable discharge; of 47 monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs, seven (14.9%) were concordant for dishonorable discharge. Concordance rates for dishonorable discharge were significantly greater for MZ vDZ twin pairs. Concordances for dishonorable discharge were not confounded by co-diagnoses of alcoholism. The results are discussed in light of research findings suggesting a genetic component to antisocial behavior.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle 98195.
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Centerwall
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Robinette
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000235:genetics; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000235:genetics*; D004200:Diseases in Twins; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014429:Twins, Dizygotic; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic; D014481:United States