The Association Between Sexual Behavior and Antisocial Behavior: Insights From an Evolutionary Informed Analysis

There has been a great deal of interest in examining the evolutionary underpinnings to human behaviors, including antisocial behaviors. Very little of this research, however, has seeped into mainstream criminology. The present study seeks to take a cautious step in addressing that gap by examining the role certain evolutionary constructs play in the association between sexual behaviors and antisocial conduct. Analysis of data drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health revealed that for males and females sexual involvement predicted delinquent involvement both concurrently and longitudinally. Furthermore, items derived from evolutionary psychology, including physical attractiveness, physical maturity, and perceptions about life certainty, predicted sexual involvement for males and females. Our study represents one example of the various ways in which evolutionary explanations can be integrated into criminological theory and research.