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Cross-generational transmission of genetic risk for alcohol and drug use disorders : the impact of substance availability on the specificity of genetic risk

Kendler, Kenneth S. LU ; Abrahamsson, Linda LU ; Ohlsson, Henrik LU ; Sundquist, Jan LU and Sundquist, Kristina LU (2023) In Psychological Medicine 53(11). p.5109-5118
Abstract

Background Among individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and drug use disorder (DUD), is their genetic liability and its specificity moderated by substance availability? Methods Offspring (born 1960-1995) and their biological parents from three family types [not-lived-with (NLW) biological father, mother and adoptive] and their AUD and DUD diagnoses were ascertained from Swedish national registers. Parent-offspring resemblance was calculated by tetrachoric correlation. Results In Swedes born from 1960 to 1995, prevalence rates of AUD were stable while DUD rates increased substantially. Best-estimate tetrachoric correlations (±95% confidence intervals) between AUD in biological parents and AUD and DUD in their offspring were,... (More)

Background Among individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and drug use disorder (DUD), is their genetic liability and its specificity moderated by substance availability? Methods Offspring (born 1960-1995) and their biological parents from three family types [not-lived-with (NLW) biological father, mother and adoptive] and their AUD and DUD diagnoses were ascertained from Swedish national registers. Parent-offspring resemblance was calculated by tetrachoric correlation. Results In Swedes born from 1960 to 1995, prevalence rates of AUD were stable while DUD rates increased substantially. Best-estimate tetrachoric correlations (±95% confidence intervals) between AUD in biological parents and AUD and DUD in their offspring were, respectively, +0.19 (0.18-0.20) and +0.18 (0.17-0.20). Parallel results from DUD in parents to AUD and DUD in children were +0.12 (0.10-0.13) and +0.27 (0.26-0.28). When divided into older and younger cohorts, the specificity of DUD transmission increased substantially over time, while the genetic correlation between AUD and DUD significantly decreased. Conclusions Raised when alcohol was the preferred substance of abuse and illicit drugs highly stigmatized, AUD in parents reflected a general liability to substance use disorders, as they transmitted similar genetic risk for AUD and DUD to their children raised when both substances were widely available and relatively acceptable. DUD in parents, by contrast, reflected a more specific liability to DUD and, when transmitted to offspring, produced a considerably stronger risk for DUD than for AUD that increased over time. The magnitude and specificity of the genetic liability to psychoactive substances can be influenced by the availability of that substance.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Adoption study, alcohol use disorder, drug use disorder, impact of drug availability, parent-offspring transmission
in
Psychological Medicine
volume
53
issue
11
pages
10 pages
publisher
Cambridge University Press
external identifiers
  • pmid:35993335
  • scopus:85169290545
ISSN
0033-2917
DOI
10.1017/S0033291722002549
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
f6f57042-1a64-453c-ac2b-bfcfb31ae971
date added to LUP
2023-11-01 15:39:05
date last changed
2024-04-19 03:24:56
@article{f6f57042-1a64-453c-ac2b-bfcfb31ae971,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background Among individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and drug use disorder (DUD), is their genetic liability and its specificity moderated by substance availability? Methods Offspring (born 1960-1995) and their biological parents from three family types [not-lived-with (NLW) biological father, mother and adoptive] and their AUD and DUD diagnoses were ascertained from Swedish national registers. Parent-offspring resemblance was calculated by tetrachoric correlation. Results In Swedes born from 1960 to 1995, prevalence rates of AUD were stable while DUD rates increased substantially. Best-estimate tetrachoric correlations (±95% confidence intervals) between AUD in biological parents and AUD and DUD in their offspring were, respectively, +0.19 (0.18-0.20) and +0.18 (0.17-0.20). Parallel results from DUD in parents to AUD and DUD in children were +0.12 (0.10-0.13) and +0.27 (0.26-0.28). When divided into older and younger cohorts, the specificity of DUD transmission increased substantially over time, while the genetic correlation between AUD and DUD significantly decreased. Conclusions Raised when alcohol was the preferred substance of abuse and illicit drugs highly stigmatized, AUD in parents reflected a general liability to substance use disorders, as they transmitted similar genetic risk for AUD and DUD to their children raised when both substances were widely available and relatively acceptable. DUD in parents, by contrast, reflected a more specific liability to DUD and, when transmitted to offspring, produced a considerably stronger risk for DUD than for AUD that increased over time. The magnitude and specificity of the genetic liability to psychoactive substances can be influenced by the availability of that substance.</p>}},
  author       = {{Kendler, Kenneth S. and Abrahamsson, Linda and Ohlsson, Henrik and Sundquist, Jan and Sundquist, Kristina}},
  issn         = {{0033-2917}},
  keywords     = {{Adoption study; alcohol use disorder; drug use disorder; impact of drug availability; parent-offspring transmission}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{11}},
  pages        = {{5109--5118}},
  publisher    = {{Cambridge University Press}},
  series       = {{Psychological Medicine}},
  title        = {{Cross-generational transmission of genetic risk for alcohol and drug use disorders : the impact of substance availability on the specificity of genetic risk}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0033291722002549}},
  doi          = {{10.1017/S0033291722002549}},
  volume       = {{53}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}