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Mediational pathways from genetic risk to alcohol use disorder in swedish men and women

Kendler, Kenneth S. ; Ohlsson, Henrik LU ; Edwards, Alexis C. LU ; Sundquist, Jan LU and Sundquist, Kristina LU (2021) In Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 82(3). p.431-438
Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to clarify the mediational pathways from genetic risk for alcohol use disorder (AUD) to AUD itself. Method: Using information on AUD status from first-through fourth-degree relatives obtained from national registries, we created a genetic risk score for AUD for the Swedish population. We first tested a simple mediational path model in males and females separately, with early onset externalizing psychopathology (EPP), internalizing psychopathology (IPP), and poor educational attainment (EA). We then tested a more complex model in a smaller, older sample of males that contained additional self-report measures from late ado-lescence. Results: In our basic model, the largest mediational pathway from... (More)

Objective: The purpose of this study was to clarify the mediational pathways from genetic risk for alcohol use disorder (AUD) to AUD itself. Method: Using information on AUD status from first-through fourth-degree relatives obtained from national registries, we created a genetic risk score for AUD for the Swedish population. We first tested a simple mediational path model in males and females separately, with early onset externalizing psychopathology (EPP), internalizing psychopathology (IPP), and poor educational attainment (EA). We then tested a more complex model in a smaller, older sample of males that contained additional self-report measures from late ado-lescence. Results: In our basic model, the largest mediational pathway from AUD genetic risk to AUD in both sexes was via high EPP followed by low EA and high IPP. The EPP pathway was considerably stronger in males, the low EA pathway was modestly stronger in females, and the IPP pathway was identical in both sexes. Our more complex model replicated the strong externalizing pathway to AUD, showing that it connected to key downstream risk factors such as early drug and alcohol use and low resilience. Conclusions: Our models concurred in showing that the strongest mediational pathway for genetic risk to AUD includes externalizing symptoms and disorders, which in turn predict further key downstream risk factors. Pathways through lower EA and IPP had smaller effects. IPP had mixed effects (partly predisposing and partly protective) on downstream risk factors. The largest sex difference was a stronger externalizing pathway to genetic risk to AUD in males than in females. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 82, 431–438, 2021).

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
volume
82
issue
3
pages
8 pages
publisher
Alcohol Research Documentation, Inc.
external identifiers
  • pmid:34100712
  • scopus:85108020959
ISSN
1937-1888
DOI
10.15288/jsad.2021.82.431
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
229e8791-e2f1-4cc0-b18a-0c788db1b97c
date added to LUP
2021-07-16 11:37:35
date last changed
2024-06-15 13:35:33
@article{229e8791-e2f1-4cc0-b18a-0c788db1b97c,
  abstract     = {{<p>Objective: The purpose of this study was to clarify the mediational pathways from genetic risk for alcohol use disorder (AUD) to AUD itself. Method: Using information on AUD status from first-through fourth-degree relatives obtained from national registries, we created a genetic risk score for AUD for the Swedish population. We first tested a simple mediational path model in males and females separately, with early onset externalizing psychopathology (EPP), internalizing psychopathology (IPP), and poor educational attainment (EA). We then tested a more complex model in a smaller, older sample of males that contained additional self-report measures from late ado-lescence. Results: In our basic model, the largest mediational pathway from AUD genetic risk to AUD in both sexes was via high EPP followed by low EA and high IPP. The EPP pathway was considerably stronger in males, the low EA pathway was modestly stronger in females, and the IPP pathway was identical in both sexes. Our more complex model replicated the strong externalizing pathway to AUD, showing that it connected to key downstream risk factors such as early drug and alcohol use and low resilience. Conclusions: Our models concurred in showing that the strongest mediational pathway for genetic risk to AUD includes externalizing symptoms and disorders, which in turn predict further key downstream risk factors. Pathways through lower EA and IPP had smaller effects. IPP had mixed effects (partly predisposing and partly protective) on downstream risk factors. The largest sex difference was a stronger externalizing pathway to genetic risk to AUD in males than in females. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 82, 431–438, 2021).</p>}},
  author       = {{Kendler, Kenneth S. and Ohlsson, Henrik and Edwards, Alexis C. and Sundquist, Jan and Sundquist, Kristina}},
  issn         = {{1937-1888}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{431--438}},
  publisher    = {{Alcohol Research Documentation, Inc.}},
  series       = {{Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs}},
  title        = {{Mediational pathways from genetic risk to alcohol use disorder in swedish men and women}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2021.82.431}},
  doi          = {{10.15288/jsad.2021.82.431}},
  volume       = {{82}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}