likely to report drinking than are boys at this age, perhaps reflecting the earlier developmental maturation of girls, compared to age-matched boys, and its accompanying association with older peers and boyfriends. There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that females may be more susceptible to a variety of environmental influences than males (Kokkevi et al., 2007; Simons-Morton et al., 2001; Wang et al., 1995; Yeh et al., 2006). In this sample, we have previously reported that girls are more sensitive to the effects of reduced parental monitoring (Rose et al., 2001a) and substance use among friends (Dick et al., 2007a). Here, we find that neighborhood factors may also play a more significant role in both mean levels of alcohol use in girls, and in moderating the importance of genetic susceptibilities on the manifestation of behavior problems.
