Biological Aging and Early Life Behavior

• In Event: Investigating Crime and Delinquency Across the Life-Course from a Biopsychosocial Perspective

Abstract

Understanding the contributors to biological aging has emerged as a significant area of research in recent years. Much of this research has focused on identifying lifestyle factors, such as diet and smoking, that might accelerate biological aging. This line of research has not been fully integrated into the criminological scholarship and so whether criminogenic traits and behaviors are associated with biological aging remains an open-empirical question. Against this backdrop, we examined whether early life antisocial behaviors are associated with biological aging. The results of our analyses revealed some interesting findings, including that certain antisocial behaviors appear to accelerate biological aging. We speak to the implications that these results have for criminological research.

Authors

• William Gibbs, Florida State University

• Kevin Beaver, Florida State University