A dopamine gene (DRD2) distinguishes between offenders who have and have not been violently victimized.
Research has shown that offenders, on average, are more likely to be violently victimized than nonoffenders. However, a substantial percentage of offenders are not violently victimized. The current study uses data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) to investigate whether variants of a polymorphism in the dopamine D2 receptor gene (DRD2) distinguish between offenders who are violently victimized and offenders who are not violently victimized. The results show that offenders who are violently victimized are more likely to carry the DRD2 (A1) risk allele than offenders who have not been violently victimized.
Vaske
Jamie
J
Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina, USA. jvaske@email.wcu.edu
Wright
John Paul
JP
Beaver
Kevin M
KM
D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American / Q000235:genetics*; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005824:Genetics, Behavioral; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000235:genetics*; D014481:United States; D014754:Violence / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics*
D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2