Family Cohesion Moderates the Relation Between Free Testosterone and Delinquent Behaviors in Adolescent Boys and Girls

Abstract

Purpose-This study examined the associations of free testosterone and family environment with delinquent and aggressive behaviors among adolescent boys and girls with elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol levels.Methods-Participants were 164 boys and 180 girls (ages 11-14 years). The female parent provided ratings of family cohesion and child aggressive and delinquent behaviors. Tanner ratings of pubertal development were obtained during physical examination, and a blood sample was drawn for assessment of serum levels of free testosterone.Results-Hierarchical regression analyses revealed significant two-way interactions of free testosterone and family cohesion on delinquent behaviors among adolescent boys and girls. Specifically, under conditions of low family cohesion, free testosterone was positively associated with delinquent behaviors among boys, whereas no association between free testosterone and delinquent behavior was observed in families with high cohesion. In contrast, free testosterone was negatively associated with delinquent behaviors among adolescent girls in low cohesion families. For girls, family cohesion was negatively associated with aggressive behaviors; for boys, LDL-C was positively associated with aggressive behaviors.Conclusions-Child gender and family environment factors appear to modify the associations between free testosterone and delinquent behaviors in adolescent boys and girls.Correspondence concerning this article should be sent to: Carolyn Fang, Ph.D., Fox Chase Cancer Center, 510 Township Line Road, Cheltenham, PA 19012, Tel: 215-728-4062, Fax: 215-214-2178, Email: E-mail Developing a greater understanding of the various factors that contribute to adolescent behavioral outcomes has been of extensive interest to clinicians and researchers. Many such studies have focused on factors that are influenced by puberty, as this represents a period of considerable biological and social change [1]. During puberty, secretion of androgens increases significantly as sexual maturation progresses. Boys and girls differ dramatically in the production of several key hormones, particularly testosterone, as adolescent girls and adult women produce far less testosterone than adolescent boys and adult men do. Testosterone, which is the most abundant active androgen and is distributed widely throughout the body including the central nervous system [2], has been associated with a variety of behaviors including antisocial behavior, aggression, and delinquency [3][4][5].Empirical evidence generally supports a positive association between high levels of testosterone and aggressive and delinquent behaviors among boys [3,5]. Specifically, high levels of testosterone were positively associated with aggressive and delinquent behaviors [3] and greater attention problems [6], although one early study reported no association between testosterone and aggressive behavior among boys [7].Less is known, however, about the association between testosterone and behavioral problems among adolescent g...

Testosterone and Its Effects on Human Male Adolescent Mood and Behavior: A Systematic Review

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The dominance behavioral system and psychopathology: Evidence from self-report, observational, and biological studies.

“…In regard to gender, findings indicate that testosterone is directly correlated with externalizing behavior in adolescent boys but not in girls (Booth, Johnson, Granger, Crouter, & McHale, 2003; Fang, et al, 2009; Maras et al, 2003). Studies that have examined the effects of testosterone across genders also have not yielded significant relationships with externalizing behaviors, at least not cross-sectionally (Dorn et al, 2009; Glenn, Kurzban, et al, 2011; Nottelmann et al, 1987).…”

Self-Efficacy: As Moderator of the relation between Family Factors and Adolescent Cigarette Smoking Behavior

“…These factors include parental adjustment, marital adjustment or conflict, parenting, family cohesion, family adaptability, and the degree of parenting stress. Researchers have observed that among these factors, family cohesion and family adaptability are significantly related to risk behaviors such as cigarette smoking among adolescents (Fang et al, 2009;Gau et al, 2009;Mckinney, 2009;Arpawong et al, 2010;Kalavana et al, 2011;Baheiraei et al, 2013;Kim et al, 2013). The influence of family cohesion and adaptability on adolescents' smoking behaviors is discussed below.…”

“…Researcher declared that adolescents' behavior is the healthiest in families characterized with a high level of emotional bonding between family members together with stability and regularity in roles and rules. According to Fang et al (2009), who investigated the association between family cohesion and adaptability and problem behavior, low family cohesion and adaptability were associated with problem behaviors. In this study, participants were 344 adolescents.…”