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Externalizing problems, attention regulation, and household chaos: A longitudinal behavioral genetic study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 July 2012

Zhe Wang ,
Kirby Deater-Deckard ,
Stephen A. Petrill  and
Lee A. Thompson
Zhe Wang
Affiliation:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Kirby Deater-Deckard*
Affiliation:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Stephen A. Petrill
Affiliation:
Ohio State University
Lee A. Thompson
Affiliation:
Case Western Reserve University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Kirby Deater-Deckard, Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, 109 Williams Hall (0436), Blacksburg, VA 24061; E-mail: kirbydd@vt.edu.
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Abstract

Previous research documented a robust link between difficulties in self-regulation and development of externalizing problems (i.e., aggression and delinquency). In this study, we examined the longitudinal additive and interactive genetic and environmental covariation underlying this well-established link using a twin design. The sample included 131 pairs of monozygotic twins and 173 pairs of same-sex dizygotic twins who participated in three waves of annual assessment. Mothers and fathers provided reports of externalizing problems. Teacher report and observer rating were used to assess twin's attention regulation. The etiology underlying the link between externalizing problems and attention regulation shifted from a common genetic mechanism to a common environmental mechanism in the transition across middle childhood. Household chaos moderated the genetic variance of and covariance between externalizing problems and attention regulation. The genetic influence on individual differences in both externalizing problems and attention regulation was stronger in more chaotic households. However, higher levels of household chaos attenuated the genetic link between externalizing problems and attention regulation.

Type
Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 24 , Issue 3: Multilevel Approaches Toward Understanding Antisocial Behavior: Current Research and Future Directions , August 2012 , pp. 755 - 769
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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