Explaining Differential Patterns of Self-reported Delinquency: Evidence From a Latent Class Analysis of Sibling Pairs

A rich line of criminological research has utilized latent class analysis (LCA) to identify different groups or classes of individuals. At the same time, behavioral genetic modeling strategies have offered valuable insight into the etiological origins of many phenotypes, such as aggression and antisocial behavior. For the most part, these two streams of inquiry have operated in isolation of one another. The current study represents an attempt to blend a mainstream criminological method (i.e., LCA) with a mainstream behavioral genetic method (i.e., the ACE model). The results indicated that three classes of offenders are identifiable in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health and that variance in each class was explained by a combination of genetic (h(2) ranged between .26 and .65) and nonshared environmental (e(2) ranged between .35 and .74) influences. Directions for future research are considered.