The spread of substance use and delinquency between adolescent twins.
This investigation examines the spread of problem behaviors (substance use and delinquency) between twin siblings. A sample of 628 twins (151 male twin pairs and 163 female twin pairs) drawn from the Quebec Newborn Twin Study completed inventories describing delinquency and substance use at ages 13, 14, and 15. A 3-wave longitudinal actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) identified avenues whereby problem behaviors spread from one twin to another. Problems did not spread directly between twins across domains. Instead, 2 indirect pathways were identified: (a) Problems first spread interindividually (between twins) within a behavioral domain, then spread intraindividually (within twins) across behavioral domains (e.g., Twin A delinquency → Twin B delinquency → Twin B substance use); and (b) problems first spread intraindividually (within twins) across behavioral domains, then spread interindividually (between twins) within a behavioral domain (e.g., Twin A delinquency → Twin A substance use → Twin B substance use). Controls for genetic effects, gene-environment correlations, friend substance use and delinquency, and parenting behaviors increase confidence in the conclusion that twin siblings uniquely contribute to the spread of problem behaviors during adolescence. Twin sibling influence is a risk factor for illicit substance use, both because substance use by one twin predicts substance use by the other twin, but also because delinquency in one twin predicts delinquency in the other twin, which then gives rise to greater substance use. (PsycINFO Database Record
Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University.
Brett
B
Laursen
Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University.
Amy C
AC
Hartl
Département de Psychoéducation, Université de Montréal.
Frank
F
Vitaro
Département de Psychologie, Université du Québec a` Montréal.
Mara
M
Brendgen
École de psychologie, Université Laval.
Ginette
G
Dionne
École de psychologie, Université Laval.
Michel
M
Boivin
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends / Q000523:psychology; D059647:Gene-Environment Interaction; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D000066553:Problem Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D011792:Quebec; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D014429:Twins, Dizygotic / Q000523:psychology*; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic / Q000523:psychology*