Virginia Commonwealth University.
State University of New York Downstate Medical Center.
Dev Psychopathol. 2018 Dec;30(5):1749-1761. doi: 10.1017/S0954579418000962. Epub 2018 Sep 3.
Numerous studies have demonstrated that genetic and environmental factors interact to influence alcohol problems. Yet prior research has primarily focused on samples of European descent and little is known about gene-environment interactions in relation to alcohol problems in non-European populations. In this study, we examined whether and how genetic risk for alcohol problems and peer deviance and interpersonal traumatic events independently and interactively influence trajectories of alcohol use disorder symptoms in a sample of African American students across the college years (N = 1,119; Mage = 18.44 years). Data were drawn from the Spit for Science study where participants completed multiple online surveys throughout college and provided a saliva sample for genotyping. Multilevel growth curve analyses indicated that alcohol dependence genome-wide polygenic risk scores did not predict trajectory of alcohol use disorder symptoms, while family history of alcohol problems was associated with alcohol use disorder symptoms at the start of college but not with the rate of change in symptoms over time. Peer deviance and interpersonal traumatic events were associated with more alcohol use disorder symptoms across college years. Neither alcohol dependence genome-wide polygenic risk scores nor family history of alcohol problems moderated the effects of these environmental risk factors on alcohol use disorder symptoms. Our findings indicated that peer deviance and experience of interpersonal traumatic events are salient risk factors that elevate risk for alcohol problems among African American college students. Family history of alcohol problems could be a useful indicator of genetic risk for alcohol problems. Gene identification efforts with much larger samples of African descent are needed to better characterize genetic risk for alcohol use disorders, in order to better understand gene-environment interaction processes in this understudied population.
许多研究表明，遗传和环境因素相互作用影响酒精问题。然而，先前的研究主要集中在欧洲血统的样本上，对于非欧洲人群中与酒精问题相关的基因-环境相互作用知之甚少。在这项研究中，我们研究了遗传风险、同伴偏差和人际创伤事件是否以及如何独立和交互影响非洲裔美国大学生在大学期间的酒精使用障碍症状轨迹（N=1119；Mage=18.44 岁）。数据来自 Spit for Science 研究，其中参与者在整个大学期间完成了多次在线调查，并提供了唾液样本进行基因分型。多层次增长曲线分析表明，酒精依赖全基因组多基因风险评分不能预测酒精使用障碍症状的轨迹，而家庭饮酒史与大学开始时的酒精使用障碍症状有关，但与随时间变化的症状变化率无关。同伴偏差和人际创伤事件与整个大学期间更多的酒精使用障碍症状有关。酒精依赖全基因组多基因风险评分或酒精使用障碍家族史都不能调节这些环境风险因素对酒精使用障碍症状的影响。我们的研究结果表明，同伴偏差和人际创伤事件的经历是提高非裔美国大学生酒精问题风险的重要危险因素。酒精使用障碍家族史可能是酒精问题遗传风险的有用指标。需要对具有更大非裔血统样本的基因鉴定工作，以更好地描述酒精使用障碍的遗传风险，从而更好地理解这个研究不足的人群中的基因-环境相互作用过程。
