Center for Child & Family Policy | Duke University

Avshalom Caspi

Edward M. Arnett Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and Affiliate of the Center for Child and Family Policy

Avshalom Caspi's research spans the fields of psychology, epidemiology, and genetics. His current work is concerned with three broad questions.

• How do genetic differences between people shape the way they respond to their environments?
• How do childhood experiences shape the course health inequalities across the life span?
• What are the best ways to assess and measure personality differences between people?

For his research, he has received the American Psychological Association's Early Career Contribution Award, the John Hill Memorial Award for contributions to understanding adolescent development from the Society for Research on Adolescence, and the Mortimer D. Sackler Prize for Distinguished Achievement in Developmental Psychobiology.

Research Interests:
Gene-environment Interaction, Child Development

Education:

• Ph.D. Cornell University - 1986
• M.A. Cornell University - 1983
• B.A. University of California, Santa Cruz - 1981

Representative Publications   (More Publications)

1. Arseneault, L; Cannon, M; Fisher, HL; Polanczyk, G; Moffitt, TE; Caspi, A (2011). Childhood trauma and children's emerging psychotic symptoms: A genetically sensitive longitudinal cohort study.. The American journal of psychiatry, 168(1), 65-72. [20952460], [doi]  [abs]


2. Belsky, DW; Caspi, A; Arseneault, L; Bleidorn, W; Fonagy, P; Goodman, M; Houts, R; Moffitt, TE (2012). Etiological features of borderline personality related characteristics in a birth cohort of 12-year-old children.. Development and psychopathology, 24(1), 251-265. [22293008], [doi]  [abs]


3. Bowes, L; Maughan, B; Ball, H; Shakoor, S; Ouellet Morin, I; Caspi, A; Moffitt, TE; Arseneault, L (2011). Chronic bullying victimization across school transition: The role of genetic and environmental influences. Development and Psychopathology, 25(2), 333-346. [doi]  [abs]


4. Danese, A; Caspi, A; Williams, B; Ambler, A; Sugden, K; Mika, J; Werts, H; Freeman, J; Pariante, CM; Moffitt, TE; Arseneault, L (2011). Biological embedding of stress through inflammation processes in childhood.. Molecular psychiatry, 16(3), 244-246. [20157309], [doi]


5. Grisham, JR; Fullana, MA; Mataix-Cols, D; Moffitt, TE; Caspi, A; Poulton, R (2011). Risk factors prospectively associated with adult obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions and obsessive-compulsive disorder.. Psychological medicine, 41(12), 2495-2506. [21672296], [doi]  [abs]


6. Moffitt, TE; Arseneault, L; Belsky, D; Dickson, N; Hancox, RJ; Harrington, H; Houts, R; Poulton, R; Roberts, BW; Ross, S; Sears, MR; Thomson, WM; Caspi, A (2011). A gradient of childhood self-control predicts health, wealth, and public safety.. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108(7), 2693-2698. [21262822], [doi]  [abs]


7. Ouellet-Morin, I; Danese, A; Bowes, L; Shakoor, S; Ambler, A; Pariante, CM; Papadopoulos, AS; Caspi, A; Moffitt, TE; Arseneault, L (2011). A discordant monozygotic twin design shows blunted cortisol reactivity among bullied children.. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 50(6), 574-582.e3. [21621141], [doi]  [abs]


8. Ouellet-Morin, I; Odgers, CL; Danese, A; Bowes, L; Shakoor, S; Papadopoulos, AS; Caspi, A; Moffitt, TE; Arseneault, L (2011). Blunted cortisol responses to stress signal social and behavioral problems among maltreated/bullied 12-year-old children.. Biological psychiatry, 70(11), 1016-1023. [21839988], [doi]  [abs]


9. Shakoor, S; Jaffee, SR; Andreou, P; Bowes, L; Ambler, AP; Caspi, A; Moffitt, TE; Arseneault, L (2011). Mothers and children as informants of bullying victimization: results from an epidemiological cohort of children.. Journal of abnormal child psychology, 39(3), 379-387. [20938734], [doi]  [abs]


10. Shearer, DM; Thomson, WM; Caspi, A; Moffitt, TE; Broadbent, JM; Poulton, R (2011). Inter-generational continuity in periodontal health: findings from the Dunedin family history study.. Journal of clinical periodontology, 38(4), 301-309. [21281332], [doi]  [abs]


11. Thomson, WM; Caspi, A; Poulton, R; Moffitt, TE; Broadbent, JM (2011). Personality and oral health.. European journal of oral sciences, 119(5), 366-372. [21896053], [doi]  [abs]


12. Uher, R; Caspi, A; Houts, R; Sugden, K; Williams, B; Poulton, R; Moffitt, TE (2011). Serotonin transporter gene moderates childhood maltreatment's effects on persistent but not single-episode depression: replications and implications for resolving inconsistent results.. Journal of affective disorders, 135(1-3), 56-65. [21439648], [doi]  [abs]


13. Wong, CCY; Caspi, A; Williams, B; Houts, R; Craig, IW; Mill, J (2011). A longitudinal twin study of skewed X chromosome-inactivation.. PloS one, 6(3), e17873. [21445353], [doi]  [abs]


14. Zimmermann, P; Brückl, T; Nocon, A; Pfister, H; Binder, EB; Uhr, M; Lieb, R; Moffitt, TE; Caspi, A; Holsboer, F; Ising, M (2011). Interaction of FKBP5 gene variants and adverse life events in predicting depression onset: results from a 10-year prospective community study.. The American journal of psychiatry, 168(10), 1107-1116. [21865530], [doi]  [abs]