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Article
The effect of neighborhood disadvantage, social ties, and genetic variation on the antisocial behavior of African American women: A multilevel analysis
Development and Psychopathology
  • Man-Kit Lei, University of Georgia
  • Ronald L. Simons, Arizona State University
  • Mary Bond Edmond, Piedmont College
  • Leslie Gordon Simons, Arizona State University
  • Carolyn E. Cutrona, Iowa State University
Document Type
Article
Publication Version
Accepted Manuscript
Publication Date
11-1-2014
DOI
10.1017/S0954579414000200
Abstract

Social disorganization theory posits that individuals who live in disadvantaged neighborhoods are more likely to engage in antisocial behavior than are those who live in advantaged neighborhoods and that neighborhood disadvantage asserts this effect through its disruptive impact on social ties. Past research on this framework has been limited in two respects. First, most studies have concentrated on adolescent males. In contrast, the present study focused on a sample of adult African American females. Second, past research has largely ignored individual-level factors that might explain why people who grow up in disadvantaged neighborhoods often do not engage in antisocial behavior. We investigated the extent to which genetic variation contributes to heterogeneity of response to neighborhood conditions. We found that the impact of neighborhood disadvantage on antisocial behavior was mediated by neighborhood social ties. Further, the analysis indicated that the effects of neighborhood disadvantage and social ties on antisocial behavior were moderated by genetic polymorphisms. Examination of these moderating effects provided support for the differential susceptibility model of Gene × Environment. The effect of Gene × Neighborhood Disadvantage on antisocial behavior was mediated by the effect of Gene × Neighborhood Social Ties, providing support for an expanded view of social disorganization theory.

Comments

This is the accepted manuscript of an article published in Development and Psychopathology 26 (2014): 1113–1128, doi:10.1017/S0954579414000200. Posted with permission.

Copyright Owner
Cambridge University Press
Language
eb
File Format
application/pdf
Citation Information
Man-Kit Lei, Ronald L. Simons, Mary Bond Edmond, Leslie Gordon Simons, et al.. "The effect of neighborhood disadvantage, social ties, and genetic variation on the antisocial behavior of African American women: A multilevel analysis" Development and Psychopathology Vol. 26 Iss. 4pt1 (2014) p. 1113 - 1128
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/carolyn_cutrona/12/