Admission of Drug-Selling Behaviors is Structured by Genetic and Nonshared Environmental Factors: Results from a Longitudinal Twin-Based Study

Behavioral genetic research has consistently revealed that approximately one-half of the variance in antisocial behaviors is attributable to genetic factors. Even so, there is some reason to believe that different types of antisocial behaviors may have different developmental etiologies. The current study used this possibility as a springboard to examine the genetic and environmental influences on admission of drug-selling behaviors. Analysis of twin pairs drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health revealed that 38% of the variance in a continuously coded drug-selling variable was accounted for by genetic factors and 69% of the variance in a dichotomously coded drug-selling variable was the result of genetic factors. The remaining variance for both measures was explained by nonshared environmental factors. The implications that these results have for drug research are discussed and avenues for future research are offered.

► We estimated genetic effects on drug-selling behaviors.
► Genetic factors explained between 38 and 69% of the variance in drug selling.
► Future research needs to further explore the role of genetics.