Antisocial behaviour inherited
Antisocial behaviour could be inherited, according to a new British study.
A significant minority of youngsters who display antisocial behaviour also show psychopathic tendencies, such as a failure to show remorse or empathy.
It is these children who are likely to have inherited these tendencies, an Institute of Psychiatry study has shown.
The study focused on 3,687 pairs of identical and non-identical seven-year-old twins, whose teachers rated them for antisocial behaviour and psychopathic tendencies.
The findings support previous research, which shows children with psychopathic tendencies will maintain their antisocial behaviour and often resist efforts to change their habits.
But lead researcher Dr Essi Viding said that these children can still be helped, insisting: “Strong heritability does not mean that nothing can be done.”
She said that antisocial behaviour in these children is the result of an unlucky combination of genes, which increases their vulnerability to the disorder.
By studying the effects of genetics and brain development on this potential for antisocial behaviour, methods of prevention and intervention can be designed, Dr Viding explained.
“Children are open to protective environmental influences early in life and these influences can buffer the effect of genetic vulnerability,” she said.
Children who commit antisocial behaviour, but without psychopathic tendencies, are mainly influenced by their environment, the researchers write in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
