Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Gene-Environment Transactions in Childhood and Adolescence: Problematic Peer Relationships

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Gene-Environment Interplay in Interpersonal Relationships across the Lifespan

Part of the book series: Advances in Behavior Genetics ((AIBG,volume 3))

Abstract

Already very early in life, children spend many hours in the company of peers. Experiences with peers may thus be a particularly important source of nonshared environmental influence during childhood and adolescence. These experiences are not always positive, however, and can sometimes even impede children’s healthy development. In the past years, several studies have been published that provide important insights into how genetic factors work together with perhaps the most worrisome peer-related experiences—peer victimization and affiliation with deviant peers—in influencing child development. This chapter offers a synopsis of the current state of knowledge in this context, including research on both children and adolescents and covering diverse adjustment outcomes. We first illustrate the different types of gene-environment interplay relevant to our understanding of how deviant peer affiliation and peer victimization relate to maladjustment. We then provide a brief description of prominent theoretical perspectives of deviant peer affiliation and peer victimization, respectively. This is followed by a review of the extant empirical evidence from behavioral genetic studies on deviant peer affiliation and peer victimization in childhood and adolescence. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the future directions in genetically informed research on problematic peer relations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Akers, R. K., Krohn, M. D., Lanza-Kaduce, L., & Radosevich, M. (1979). Social learning and deviant behavior. A specific test of a general theory. American Sociological Review, 44, 636–655.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Allen, G., Knobloch, H., & Pasamanick, B. (1961). Intellectual potential and heredity. Science, 133(3450), 378–380.

    Google Scholar 

  • Altmann, E. O., & Gotlib, I. H. (1988). The social behavior of depressed children: An observational study. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 16(1), 29–44.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Andrieu, N., & Goldstein, A. M. (1998). Epidemiologic and genetic approaches in the study of gene-environment interaction: An overview of available methods. Epidemiologic Reviews, 20, 137–147.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Archer, J., & Côté, S. (2005). Sex differences in aggressive behavior: A developmental and evolutionary perspective. In R. E. Tremblay, W. W. Hartup, & J. Archer (Eds.), Developmental origins of aggression (pp. 425–443). New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arseneault, L., Walsh, E., Trzesniewski, K., Newcombe, R., Caspi, A., & Moffitt, T. E. (2006). Bullying victimization uniquely contributes to adjustment problems in young children: A nationally representative cohort study. Pediatrics, 118(1), 130–138.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ary, D. V., Duncan, T. E., Duncan, S. C., & Hops, H. (1999). Adolescent problem behavior: The influence of parents and peers. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 37, 217–230.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., & van IJzendoorn, M. H. (2006). Gene-environment interaction of the dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4) and observed maternal insensitivity predicting externalizing behavior in preschoolers. Developmental Psychobiology, 48(5), 406–409.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., Van Ijzendoorn, M. H., Pijlman, F. T. A., Mesman, J., & Juffer, F. (2008). Experimental evidence for differential susceptibility: Dopamine D4 receptor polymorphism (DRD4 VNTR) moderates intervention effects on toddlers’ externalizing behavior in a randomized controlled trial. Developmental Psychology, 44(1), 293–300.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ball, H. A., Arseneault, L., Taylor, A., Maughan, B., Caspi, A., & Moffitt, T. E. (2008). Genetic and environmental influences on victims, bullies and bully-victims in childhood. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 49(1), 104–112.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barker, E. D., Boivin, M., Brendgen, M., Fontaine, N., Arseneault, L., Vitaro, F., et al. (2008). Predictive validity and early predictors of peer-victimization trajectories in preschool. Archives of General Psychiatry, 65(10), 1185–1192.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Belsky, J., & Pluess, M. (2009). Beyond diathesis stress: Differential susceptibility to environmental influences. Psychological Bulletin, 135(6), 885–908.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Berndt, T. J., & Keefe, K. (1995). Friends’ influence on adolescents’ adjustment to school. Child Development, 66, 1312–1329.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Boardman, J. D., Saint Onge, J. M., Haberstick, B. C., Timberlake, D. S., & Hewitt, J. K. (2008). Do schools moderate the genetic determinants of smoking? Behavior Genetics, 38(3), 234–246.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Boivin, M., Brendgen, M., Vitaro, F., Dionne, G., Girard, A., Pérusse, D., et al. (2013a). Strong gene-environment correlation in peer relation difficulties at school entry: Findings from a longitudinal twin study. Child Development, 84(3), 1098–1114.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Boivin, M., Brendgen, M., Vitaro, F., Forget-Dubois, N., Feng, B., Tremblay, R. E., et al. (2013b). Evidence of gene-environment correlation for Peer difficulties: Disruptive behaviors predict early school peer relation difficulties through genetic effects. Development and Psychopathology, 25, 79–92.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Boivin, M., Dodge, K. A., & Coie, J. D. (1995a). Individual-group behavioral similarity and peer status in experimental play groups: the social misfit revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69(2), 269–279.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Boivin, M., & Hymel, S. (1997). Peer experiences and social self-perceptions: A sequential model. Developmental Psychology, 33(1), 135–145.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Boivin, M., Hymel, S., & Burkowski, W. M. (1995b). The roles of social withdrawal, peer rejection, and victimization by peers in predicting loneliness and depressed mood in childhood. Development and Psychopathology, 7(4), 765–785.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boivin, M., Hymel, S., & Hodges, E. V. E. (2001). Toward a process view of peer rejection and harassment. In Peer harassment in school: The plight of the vulnerable and victimized. (pp. 265–289): New York, NY, US: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boivin, M., Petitclerc, A., Feng, B., & Barker, E. D. (2010). The developmental trajectories of peer victimization in middle to late childhood and the changing nature of their behavioral correlates. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 56(3), 231–260.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boivin, M., Vitaro, F., & Gagnon, C. (1992). A reassessment of the self-perception profile for children: Factor structure, reliability and convergent validity of a French version among second through sixth grade children. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 15(2), 275–290.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boivin, M., Vitaro, F., & Poulin, F. (2005). Peer relationships and the development of aggressive behavior in early childhood. In R. E. Tremblay, W. W. Hartup, & J. Archer (Eds.), Developmental origins of aggression (pp. 376–397). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brame, B., Nagin, D. S., & Tremblay, R. E. (2001). Developmental trajectories of physical aggression from school entry to late adolescence. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 42, 503–512.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brendgen, M. (2012). Genetics and peer relations: A review. Journal of research on adolescence, 22, 419–437.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brendgen, M., Boivin, M., Dionne, G., Barker, E. D., Vitaro, F., Girard, A., et al. (2011). Gene-environment processes linking aggression, peer victimization, and the teacher-child relationship. Child Development, 82(6), 2021–2036.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brendgen, M., Boivin, M., Vitaro, F., Bukowski, W. M., Dionne, G., Tremblay, R. E., et al. (2008a). Linkages between children’s and their friends’ social and physical aggression: Evidence for a gene-environment interaction? Child Development, 79, 13–29.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brendgen, M., Boivin, M., Vitaro, F., Dionne, G., Girard, A., & Pérusse, D. (2008b). Gene-environment interactions between peer victimization and child aggression. Development and Psychopathology, 20, 455–471.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brendgen, M., Dionne, G., Girard, A., Boivin, M., Vitaro, F., & Pérusse, D. (2005). Examining genetic and environmental effects on social aggression: A study of 6-year-old twins. Child Development, 76(4), 930–946.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brendgen, M., Girard, A., Vitaro, F., Dionne, G., & Boivin, M. (2014, Early View). Gene-environment correlation linking aggression and peer victimization: Do classroom behavioral norms matter? Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. doi 10.1007/s10802-013-9807-z

  • Brendgen, M., Girard, A., Vitaro, F., Dionne, G., & Boivin, M. (2015). The Dark Side of Friends: A Genetically Informed Study of Victimization Within Early Adolescents’ Friendships. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. Special Issue on Peer Victimization, 44(3), 417-431.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brendgen, M., & Vitaro, F. (2008). Predictive links between peer rejection and physical health problems in early adolescence. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 29(3), 183–190.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brendgen, M., Vitaro, F., Barker, E. D., Girard, A., Dionne, G., Tremblay, R. E., et al. (2013a). Does other people’s plight matter? A genetically informed twin study of the role of social context in the link between peer victimization and children’s aggression and depression symptoms. Developmental Psychology, 49(2), 327–340.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brendgen, M., Vitaro, F., Boivin, M., Girard, A., Bukowski, W. M., Dionne, G., et al. (2009). Gene-environment linkages between peer rejection and depressive symptoms in children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 50(8), 1009–1017.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brendgen, M., Vitaro, F., & Bukowski, W. M. (1998). Affiliation with delinquent friends: Contributions of parents, self-esteem, delinquent behavior, and peer rejection. Journal of Early Adolescence, 18, 244–265.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brendgen, M., Vitaro, F., & Bukowski, W. M. (2000). Deviant friends and early adolescents’ emotional and behavioral adjustment. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 10(2), 173–189.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brendgen, M., Vitaro, F., Bukowski, M., Dionne, G., Tremblay, R. E., & Boivin, M. (2013b). Can friends protect genetically vulnerable children from depression? Development and Psychopathology, 25, 277–289.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brendgen, M., Wanner, B., & Vitaro, F. (2006). Verbal abuse by the teacher and child adjustment from kindergarten through grade 6. Pediatrics, 117(5), 1585–1598.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bukowski, W. M., Brendgen, M., & Vitaro, F. (2006). Peer relations. In J. E. Grusec & P. D. Hastings (Eds.), Handbook of socialization (pp. 355–381). New York, NY: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bullock, B. M., Deater-Deckard, K., & Leve, L. D. (2006). Deviant peer affiliation and problem behavior: A test of genetic and environmental influences. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 34(1), 29–41.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Burt, S. A. (2008). Gene-environment interactions and their impact on the development of personality traits. Psychiatry, 7(12), 507–510.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burt, S. A., McGue, M., Krueger, R. F., & Iacono, W. G. (2005). How are parent-child conflict and childhood externalizing symptoms related over time? Results from a genetically informative cross-lagged study. Development and Psychopathology, 17(1), 145–165.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Button, T. M. M., Corley, R. P., Rhee, S. H., Hewitt, J. K., Young, S. E., & Stallings, M. C. (2007). Delinquent peer affiliation and conduct problems: A twin study. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 116(3), 554–564.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Button, T. M. M., Stallings, M. C., Rhee, S. H., Corley, R. P., Boardman, J. D., & Hewitt, J. K. (2009). Perceived peer delinquency and the genetic predisposition for substance dependence vulnerability. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 100(1–2), 1–8.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cairns, R. B., Cairns, B. D., Neckerman, H. J., Gest, S. D., & Gariépy, J.-L. (1988). Peer networks and aggressive behavior: Social support or social rejection? Developmental Psychology, 24, 815–823.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cairns R., Xie, H., & Leung, M. (1998). The popularity of friendship and the neglect of social networks: Toward a new balance. In W. M. Bukowski & A. H. Cillessen (Eds.), Sociometry then and now: Building on six decades of measuring children’s experiences with the paper group: No. 80. New directions for child development (pp. 5–24). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carney, J. V. (2000). Bullied to death. School Psychology International, 21(2), 213–223.

    Google Scholar 

  • Champagne, F. A. (2012). Interplay between social experiences and the genome: Epigenetic consequences for behavior. Advances in Genetics, 77, 33–57.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cillessen, A. H. N., & Mayeux, L. (2004). From censure to reinforcement: Developmental changes in the association between aggression and social status. Child Development, 75(1), 147–163.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cleveland, H. H., Wiebe, R. P., & Rowe, D. C. (2005). Sources of exposure to smoking and drinking friends among adolescents: A behavioral-genetic evaluation. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 166(2), 153–169.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J. (1977). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coie, J. D., Dodge, K. A., & Coppotelli, H. (1982). Dimensions and types of social status: A cross-age perspective. Developmental Psychology, 18, 557–570.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coie, J., Terry, R., Akriski, A., & Lochman, J. (1995). Early adolescent social influences on delinquent behavior. In J. McCord (Ed.), Coercion and punishment in long-term perspectives (pp. 229–244). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Colwell, M. J., Mize, J., Pettit, G. S., & Laird, R. D. (2002). Contextual determinants of mothers’ interventions in young children’s peer interactions. Developmental Psychology, 38, 492–502.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cramer, P., & Steinwert, T. (1998). Thin is good, fat is bad: How early does it begin? Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 19(3), 429–451.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crick, N. R., & Nelson, D. A. (2002). Relational and physical victimization within friendships: Nobody told me there’d be friends like these. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 30, 599–607.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dick, D. M., Pagan, J. L., Holliday, C., Viken, R., Pulkkinen, L., Kaprio, J., et al. (2007). Gender differences in friends’ influences on adolescent drinking: A genetic epidemiological study. Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research, 31(12), 2012–2019.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • DiLalla, L. F. (2002). Behavior genetics of aggression in children: Review and future directions. Developmental Review, 22, 593–622.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dishion, T. J. (1990a). The family ecology for boys’ peer relations in middle childhood. Child Development, 61, 874–892.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dishion, T. J. (1990b). Peer context of troublesome behavior in children and adolescents. In P. Leone (Ed.), Understanding troubled and troublesome youth (pp. 128–153). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dodge, K. A. (1983). Behavioral antecedents of peer social status. Child Development, 54(6), 1386–1399.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dodge, K. A., Dishion, T. J., & Lansford, J. E. (2006). Interventions and policies that aggregate deviant youth, and strategies to optimize outcomes. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dodge, K. A., Lansford, J. E., Burks, V. S., Bates, J. E., Pettit, G. S., Fontaine, R., & et al. (2003). Peer rejection and social information-processing factors in the development of aggressive behavior problems in children. doi: 10.1111/1467-8624.7402004. Child Development, 74(2), 374–393.

  • Eaves, L., Silberg, J., & Erkanli, A. (2003). Resolving mutliple epigenetic pathways to adolescent depression. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 44(7), 1006–1014.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eisenberger, N. I., Lieberman, M. D., & Williams, K. D. (2003). Does rejection hurt? An fMRI study of social exclusion. Science, 302(5643), 290–292.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Elliott, D. S., Huizinga, D., & Ageton, S. S. (1985). Explaining delinquency and drug use. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, B. J., Boyce, W. T., Belsky, J., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., & van Ijzendoorn, M. H. (2011). Differential susceptibility to the environment: An evolutionary–neurodevelopmental theory. Development and Psychopathology, 23(01), 7–28.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Erhardt, D., & Hinshaw, S. P. (1994). Initial sociometric impressions of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and comparison boys: Predictions from social behaviors and from nonbehavioral variables. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62(4), 833–842.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Estell, D. B., Cairns, R. B., Farmer, T. W., & Cairns, B. D. (2002). Aggression in inner-city early elementary classroom: Individual and peer-group configurations. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 48, 52–76.

    Google Scholar 

  • Farver, J. A. M. (1996). Aggressive behavior in preschoolers’ social networks: Do birds of a feather flock together? Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 11, 333–350.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feinberg, M. E., Button, T. M. M., Neiderhiser, J. M., Reiss, D., & Hetherington, E. M. (2007). Parenting and adolescent antisocial behavior and depression: Evidence of genotype x parenting environment interaction. Archives of General Psychiatry, 64(4), 457–465.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fekkes, M., Pijpers, F. I. M., Fredriks, A. M., Vogels, T., & Verloove-Vanhorick, S. P. (2006). Do bullied children get Ill, or do Ill children get bullied? A prospective cohort study on the relationship between bullying and health-related symptoms. Pediatrics, 117, 1568–1574.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fekkes, M., Pijpers, F. I. M., & Verloove-Vanhorick, S. P. (2005). Bullying: Who does what, when and where? Involvement of children, teachers and parents in bullying behavior. Health Education Research, 20(1), 81–91.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fowler, T., Shelton, K., Lifford, K., Rice, F., McBride, A., Nikolov, I., et al. (2007). Genetic and environmental influences on the relationship between peer alcohol use and own alcohol use in adolescents. Addiction, 102(6), 894–903.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gazelle, H., & Druhen, M. J. (2009). Anxious solitude and peer exclusion predict social helplessness, upset affect, and vagal regulation in response to behavioral rejection by a friend. Developmental Psychology, 45, 1077–1096. doi:10.1037/a0016165.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Giles, J. W., & Heyman, G. D. (2005). Preschoolers use trait-relevant information to evaluate the appropriateness of an aggressive response. Aggressive Behavior, 31(5), 498–509.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gilson, M. S., Hunt, C. B., & Rowe, D. S. (2003). The friends of siblings. Marriage and Family Review, 33(2–3), 205–223.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldstein, D. B. (2009). Common genetic variation and human traits. New England Journal of Medicine, 360(17), 1696–1698.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goldstein, S. E., Tisak, M. S., & Boxer, P. (2002). Preschoolers’ normative and prescriptive judgments about relational and overt aggression. Early Education and Development, 13(1), 23–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gottfredson, M. R., & Hirschi, T. (1990). A general theory of crime. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guo, G. (2006). Genetic similarity shared by best friends among adolescents. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 9(1), 113–121.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Guo, G., Elder, G. H., Cai, T., & Hamilton, N. (2009). Gene-environment interactions: Peers’ alcohol use moderates genetic contribution to adolescent drinking behavior. Social Science Research, 38(1), 213–224.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanish, L. D., & Guerra, N. (2000). Predictors of peer victimization among urban youth. Social Development, 9(4), 521–543.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanish, L. D., & Guerra, N. G. (2002). A longitudinal analysis of patterns of adjustment following peer victimization. Development and Psychopathology, 14(1), 69–89.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Harden, K. P., Hill, J. E., Turkheimer, E., & Emery, R. E. (2008). Gene-environment correlation and interaction in peer effects on adolescent alcohol and tobacco use. Behavior Genetics, 38(4), 339–347.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hektner, J. M., August, G. J., & Realmuto, G. M. (2000). Patterns and temporal changes in peer affiliation among aggressive and nonaggressive children participating in a summer school program. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 29, 603–614.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Henry, D., Guerra, N., Huesmann, R., Tolan, P., Vanacker, R., & Eron, L. (2000). Normative influences on aggression in urban elementary school classrooms. American Journal of Community Psychology, 28, 59–81.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hicks, B. M., South, S. C., DiRago, A. C., Iacono, W. G., & McGue, M. (2009). Environmental adversity and increasing genetic risk for externalizing disorders. Archives of General Psychiatry, 66(6), 640–648.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hodges, E. V., Boivin, M., Vitaro, F., & Bukowski, W. M. (1999). The power of friendship: Protection against an escalating cycle of peer victimization. Developmental Psychology, 35(1), 94–101.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hodges, E. V. E., & Perry, D. G. (1999). Personal and interpersonal antecedents and consequences of victimization by peers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76(4), 677–685.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Houndoumadi, A., & Pateraki, L. (2001). Bullying and bullies in Greek elementary schools: Pupils’ attitudes and teachers’/parents’ awareness. Educational Review, 53(1), 19–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Iervolino, A. C., Pike, A., Manke, B., Reiss, D., Hetherington, E. M., & Plomin, R. (2002). Genetic and environmental influences in adolescent peer socialization: Evidence from two genetically sensitive designs. Child Development, 73(1), 162–174.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jaffee, S. R., Caspi, A., Moffitt, T. E., Dodge, K. A., Rutter, M., Taylor, A., et al. (2005). Nature × nurture: Genetic vulnerabilities interact with physical maltreatment to promote conduct problems. Development and Psychopathology, 17(1), 67–84.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, R. E., Marcos, A. C., & Bahr, S. (1987). The role of peers in the complex etiology of drug use. Criminology, 25, 323–340.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keller, M. C., & Coventry, W. L. (2005). Quantifying and addressing parameter indeterminacy in the classical twin design. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 8, 201–213.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, J. E., Hetherington, E. M., & Reiss, D. (1999). Associations among family relationships, antisocial peers, and adolescents’ externalizing behaviors: Gender and family type differences. Child Development, 70, 1209–1230.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kim-Cohen, J., Caspi, A., Taylor, A., Williams, B., Newcombe, R., Craig, I. W., & Moffitt, T. E. (2006). MAOA, maltreatment, and gene-environment interaction predicting children's mental health: New evidence and a meta-analysis. Molecular Psychiatry, 11(10), 903–913.

    Google Scholar 

  • La Greca, A. M., & Lopez, N. (1998). Social anxiety among adolescents: Linkages with peer relations and friendships. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 26, 83–94.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ladd, G. W., Profilet, S. M., & Hart, C. H. (1992). Parents’ management of children’s peer relations: Facilitating and supervising children’s activities in the peer culture. In R. D. Parke & G. W. Ladd (Eds.), Family peer relationships: Modes of linkage (pp. 215–253). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lahey, B. B., Gordon, R. A., Loeber, R., Stouthamer-Loeber, M., & Farrington, D. P. (1999). Boys who join gangs: A prospective study of predictors of first gang entry. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 27, 261–276.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lamarche, V., Brendgen, M., Boivin, M., Vitaro, F., Dionne, G., & Pérusse, D. (2007). Do friends’ characteristics moderate the prospective links between peer victimization and reactive and proactive aggression? Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 35, 665–680.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lau, J. Y. F., & Eley, T. C. (2008). Disentangling gene-environment correlations and interactions on adolescent depressive symptoms. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 49(2), 142–150.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Leve, L. D. L. (2001). Observation of externalizing behavior during a twin-friend discussion task. Marriage and Family Review, 33(2), 225–250.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, Q. (2006). Cyberbullying in schools. School Psychology International, 27(2), 157–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • McDougall, P., Hymel, S., Vaillancourt, T., & Mercer, L. (2001). The consequences of childhood peer rejection. In M. Leary (Ed.), Interpersonal rejection (pp. 213–247). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meaney, M. J. (2010). Epigenetics and the biological definition of gene X environment interactions. Child Development, 81(1), 41–79.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moffitt, T. E. (2005). The new look of behavioral genetics in developmental psychopathology: Gene-environment interplay in antisocial behaviors. Psychological Bulletin, 131(4), 533–554.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moffitt, T. E., Caspi, A., & Rutter, M. (2005). Strategy for investigating interactions between measured genes and measured environments. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62, 473–481.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Monroe, S. M., & Simons, A. D. (1991). Diathesis–stress theories in the context of life stress research: Implications for depressive disorders. Psychological Bulletin, 110, 406–425.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Narusyte, J., Andershed, A.-K., Neiderhiser, J., & Lichtenstein, P. (2007). Aggression as a mediator of genetic contributions to the association between negative parent–child relationships and adolescent antisocial behavior. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 16(2), 128–137.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Neale, M. C., & Cardon, L. R. (1992). Methodology for genetic studies of twins and families. Dortrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic. Turkheimer, E. (2000). Three laws of behavior genetics and what they mean. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 9(5), 160–164.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nishina, A., Juvonen, J., & Witkow, M. R. (2005). Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will make me feel sick: The psychosocial, somatic, and scholastic consequences of peer harassment. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 34(1), 37–48.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ouellet-Morin, I., Boivin, M., Dionne, G., Lupien, S. J., Arsenault, L., Barr, R. G., et al. (2008). Variations in heritability of cortisol reactivity to stress as a function of early familial adversity among 19-month-old twins. Archives of General Psychiatry, 65(2), 211–218.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Patterson, G. R., DeBaryshe, B. D., & Ramsey, E. (1989). A developmental perspective on antisocial behavior. American Psychologist, 44(2), 329–335.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Patterson, G. R., Dishion, T. J., & Yoerger, K. (2000). Adolescent growth in new forms of problem behavior: Macro- and micro-peer dynamics. Prevention Science, 1, 3–13.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Paul, J., & Cillessen, A. H. (2003). Dynamics of peer victimization in early adolescence: Results from a four-year longitudinal study. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 19(2), 25–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pellegrini, A. D., & Long, J. D. (2002). A longitudinal study of bullying, dominance, and victimization during the transition from primary school through secondary school. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 20(2), 259–280.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piaget, J. (1932). The moral judgment of the child. New York: Harcourt.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pike, A., McGuire, S., Hetherington, E. M., Reiss, D., & Plomin, R. (1996). Family environment and adolescent depressive symptoms and antisocial behavior: A multivariate genetic analysis. Developmental Psychology, 32, 590–603.

    Google Scholar 

  • Plomin, R., DeFries, J. C., & Loehlin, J. C. (1977). Genotype–environment interaction and correlation in the analysis of human behavior. Psychological Bulletin, 84, 309–322.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pope, A. W., & Bierman, K. L. (1999). Predicting adolescent peer problems and antisocial activities: The relative roles of aggression and dysregulation. Developmental Psychology, 35(2), 335–346.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Poulin, F., & Boivin, M. (2000). The role of proactive aggression and reactive aggression in the formation and development of boys’ friendships. Developmental Psychology, 36, 233–240.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Purcell, S. (2002). Variance components models for gene-environment interaction in twin analysis. Twin Research, 5(6), 554–571.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rhee, S., & Waldman, I. D. (2002). Genetic and environmental influences on antisocial behavior: A meta-analysis of twin and adoption studies. Psychological Bulletin, 29, 490–529.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rice, F. (2009). The genetics of depression in childhood and adolescence. Current Psychiatry Reports, 11(2), 167–173.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rice, F., Harold, G. T., & Thapar, A. (2003). Negative life events as an account of age-related differences in the genetic aetiology of depression in childhood and adolescence. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 44(7), 977–987.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rigby, K. (1999). Peer victimisation at school and the health of secondary school students. The British Journal of Educational Psychology, 69(1), 95–104.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rose, R. J. (2002). How do adolescents select their friends? A behavior-genetic perspective. In L. Pulkkinen & A. Caspi (Eds.), Paths to successful development: Personality in the life course (pp. 106–125). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rubin, K. H., Bukowski, W., & Parker, J. G. (1998). Peer interactions, relationships, and groups. In Handbook of child psychology: Social, emotional, and personality development (5th ed., Vol 3, pp. 619–700): Hoboken, NJ, US: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rubin, K. H., Bukowski, W., & Parker, J. G. (2006). Peer interactions, relationships, and groups In N. Eisenberg & W. Damon (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology (6 ed., Vol. 3, pp. 571–645). Hoboken, NJ, US: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rudolph, K. D., Hammen, C., & Burge, D. (1994). Interpersonal functioning and depressive symptoms in childhood: Addressing the issues of specificity and comorbidity. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 22(3), 355–371.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rutter, M., Moffitt, T. E., & Caspi, A. (2006). Gene-environment interplay and psychopathology: multiple varieties but real effects. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47(3/4), 226–261.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rutter, M., Pickles, A., Murray, R., & Eaves, L. J. (2001). Testing hypotheses on specific environmental causal effects on behavior. Psychological Bulletin, 127(3), 291–324.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Scaramella, L. V., Conger, R. D., Spoth, R., & Simons, R. L. (2002). Evaluation of a social contextual model of delinquency: A cross-study replication. Child Development, 73(1), 175–195.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Scarr, S., & McCartney, K. (1983). How people make their own environments: A theory of genotype—environment effects. Child Development, 54(2), 424–435.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schuster, B. (2001). Rejection and victimization by peers: Social perception and social behavior mechanisms. In J. Juvonen & S. Graham (Eds.), Peer harassment in school: The plight of the vulnerable and victimized (pp. 290–309). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, D., Dodge, K. A., Coie, J. D., Hubbard, J. A., Cillessen, A. H. N., Lemerise, E. A., & Bateman, H. (1998a). Social-cognitive and behavioral correlates of aggression and victimization in boys’ play groups. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 26(6), 431–440.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, D., McFadyen-Ketchum, S. A., Dodge, K. A., Pettit, G. S., & Bates, J. E. (1998b). Peer group victimization as a predictor of children’s behavior problems at home and in school. Development and Psychopathology, 10(1), 87–99.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, D., McFadyen-Ketchum, S., Dodge, K. A., Pettit, G. S., & Bates, J. E. (1999). Early behavior problems as a predictor of later peer group victimization: Moderators and mediators in the pathways of social risk. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 27(3), 191–201.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shanahan, M., & Hofer, S. (2005). Social context in gene-environment interactions: Retrospect and prospect. Journal of Gerontology: Series B, 60B, 65–76.

    Google Scholar 

  • Silberg, J., Pickles, A., Rutter, M., Hewitt, J., Simonoff, E., Maes, H., & Eaves, L. (1999). The influence of genetic factors and life stress on depression among adolescent girls. Archives of General Psychiatry, 5, 225–232.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simons, R. L., Chao, W., Conger, R. D., & Elder, G. H, Jr. (2001). Quality of parenting as mediator of the effect of childhood defiance on adolescent friendship choices and delinquency: A growth curve analysis. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 63, 63–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Slee, P. T. P. (1995). Bullying: health concerns of Australian secondary school students. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 5(4), 215–224.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, P. K., Morita, Y., Junger-Tas, J., Olweus, D., Catalano, R., & Slee, P. (1999). The nature of school bullying: A cross-national perspective. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, P. K., Shu, S., & Madsen, K. (2001). Characteristics of victims of school bullying: Developmental changes in coping strategies and skills. In J. Juvonen & S. Graham (Eds.), Peer harassment in school: The plight of the vulnerable and victimized (pp. 332–351). New York, NY, US: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snyder, J., Horsch, E., & Childs, J. (1997). Peer relationships of young children: Affiliative choices and the shaping of aggressive behavior. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 26, 145–156.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Snyder, J., Schrepferman, L., Oeser, J., Patterson, G., Stoolmiller, M., Johnson, K., et al. (2005). Deviancy training and association with deviant peers in young children: Occurrence and contribution to early-onset conduct problems. Development and Psychopathology, 17, 397–413.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stormshak, E. A., Bierman, K. L., Bruschi, C. J., Dodge, K. A., Coie, J. D., & the Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group. (1999). The relation between behavior problems and peer preference in different classroom contexts. Child Development, 70(1), 169–182.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strauss, C. C., Smith, K., Frame, C., & Forehand, R. (1985). Personal and interpersonal characteristics associated with childhood obesity. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 10(3), 337–343.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sullivan, H. S. (1953). An interpersonal theory of psychiatry. New York: Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sutherland, E. (1947). Principles of criminology (3rd ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sweeting, H., Wright, C., & Minnis, H. (2005). Psychosocial correlates of adolescent obesity, ‘slimming down’ and ‘becoming obese’. Journal of Adolescent Health, 37, 409–417.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Teräsahjo, T., & Salmivalli, C. (2003). She is not actually bullied. The discourse of harassment in student groups. Aggressive behavior, 29(2), 134–154.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thapar, A., Harold, G., Rice, F., Langley, K., & O'Donovan, M. (2007). The contribution of gene-environment interaction to psychopathology. Development and Psychopathology, 19(4), 989–1004.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thorpe, K., & Gardner, K. (2006). Twins and their friendships: Differences between monozygotic, dizygotic same-sex and dizygotic mixed-sex pairs. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 9(1), 155–164.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tremblay, R. E., Mâsse, L. C., Vitaro, F., & Dobkin, P. L. (1995). The impact of friends’ deviant behavior on early onset of delinquency: Longitudinal data from 6 to 13 years of age. Development and Psychopathology, 7, 649–667.

    Google Scholar 

  • Urberg, K. A., Degirmencioglu, S. M., & Tolson, J. M. (1998). Adolescent friendship selection and termination: The role of similarity. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 15, 703–710.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Der Sluis, S., Posthuma, D., & Dolan, C. V. (2012). A note on false positives and power in G × E modelling of twin data. Behavior Genetics, 42(1), 170–186.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Van Lier, P., Boivin, M., Dionne, G., Vitaro, F., Brendgen, M., Koot, H., et al. (2007). Kindergarten children’s genetic vulnerabilities interact with friends’ aggression to promote children’s own aggression. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 46, 1080–1087.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vernberg, E. M., Abwender, D. A., Ewell, K. K., & Beery, S. H. (1992). Social anxiety and peer relationships in early adolescence: A prospective analysis. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 21(2), 189–196.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vitaro, F., Brendgen, M., & Tremblay, R. E. (2001). Preventive intervention: Assessing its effects on the trajectories of delinquency and testing for mediational processes. Applied Developmental Science, 5, 201–213.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vitaro, F., Tremblay, R. E., Kerr, M., Pagani, L. S., & Bukowski, W. M. (1997). Disruptiveness, friends’ characteristics, and delinquency: A test of two competing models of development. Child Development, 68, 676–689.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vuijk, P., van Lier, P. A. C., Crijnen, A. A. M., & Huizink, A. C. (2007). Testing sex-specific pathways from peer victimization to anxiety and depression in early adolescents through a randomized intervention trial. Journal of Affective Disorders, 100(1–3), 221–226.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Waasdorp, T. E., Bagdi, A. & Bradshaw, C. P. (2009). Peer victimization among urban, predominantly African American youth: Coping with relational aggression between friends. Journal of School Violence, 9(1), 98–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walden, B., McGue, M., lacono, W. G., Burt, S. A., & Elkins, I. (2004). Identifying shared environmental contributions to early substance use: The respective roles of peers and parents. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 113(3), 440–450.

    Google Scholar 

  • Werner, N. E., & Crick, N. R. (2004). Maladaptive peer relationships and the development of relational and physical aggression during middle childhood. Social Development, 13(4), 495–514.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, K., Chambers, M., Logan, S., & Robinson, D. (1996). Association of common health symptoms with bullying in primary school children. British Medical Journal, 313, 17–19.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Youniss, J. (1980). Parents and peers and social development: A Sullivan-Piaget perspective. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zuckerman, M. (1999). Vulnerability to psychopathology: A biosocial model. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department de Psychologie, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Canada

    Mara Brendgen

  2. Université Laval, Québec City, Canada

    Mara Brendgen & Michel Boivin

Authors
  1. Mara Brendgen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michel Boivin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mara Brendgen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Psychology, California State University, Fullerton, California, USA

    Briana N. Horwitz

  2. Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA

    Jenae M. Neiderhiser

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Brendgen, M., Boivin, M. (2015). Gene-Environment Transactions in Childhood and Adolescence: Problematic Peer Relationships. In: Horwitz, B., Neiderhiser, J. (eds) Gene-Environment Interplay in Interpersonal Relationships across the Lifespan. Advances in Behavior Genetics, vol 3. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2923-8_5

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation