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Depressive symptoms and alcohol use are genetically and environmentally correlated across adolescence.

ABSTRACT: Depressive symptoms and alcohol use are frequently positively associated during adolescence. This study aimed to assess the heritability of each phenotype across adolescence; to assess potential shared liabilities; to examine changes in the nature of shared liabilities across adolescence; and to investigate potential causal relationships between depressive symptoms and alcohol use. We studied a longitudinally assessed sample of adolescent Finnish twins (N = 1,282) to test hypotheses about genetic and environmental influences on these phenotypes within and across ages, using data from assessments at ages 12, 14, and 17.5 years. The heritability of depressive symptoms is consistent across adolescence (~40-50%), with contributions from common and unique environmental factors. The heritability of alcohol use varies across time (a(2) = .25-.44), and age 14 alcohol use is heavily influenced by shared environmental factors. Genetic attenuation and innovation were observed across waves. Modest to moderate genetic (r(A) = .26-.59) and environmental (r(C) = .30-.63) correlations between phenotypes exist at all ages, but decrease over time. Tests for causal relationships between traits differed across ages and sexes. Intrapair MZ difference tests provided evidence for reciprocal causation in girls at ages 14 and 17.5. Formal causal models suggested significant causal relationships between the variables in both boys and girls. The association between depressive symptoms and alcohol use during adolescence is likely due to a combination of shared genetic and environmental influences and causal influences. These influences are also temporally dynamic, complicating efforts to understand factors contributing to the relationship between these outcomes.

SUBMITTER: Edwards AC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3085050 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Depressive symptoms and alcohol use are genetically and environmentally correlated across adolescence.

Edwards Alexis C AC Sihvola Elina E Korhonen Tellervo T Pulkkinen Lea L Moilanen Irma I Kaprio Jaakko J Rose Richard J RJ Dick Danielle M DM

Behavior genetics 20101002 4

Depressive symptoms and alcohol use are frequently positively associated during adolescence. This study aimed to assess the heritability of each phenotype across adolescence; to assess potential shared liabilities; to examine changes in the nature of shared liabilities across adolescence; and to investigate potential causal relationships between depressive symptoms and alcohol use. We studied a longitudinally assessed sample of adolescent Finnish twins (N = 1,282) to test hypotheses about geneti ...[more]

PMID: 20890653

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Project description:BackgroundDistinct changes in alcohol use etiologies occur during adolescence and young adulthood. Additionally, measured environments known to influence alcohol use such as peers and parenting practice can interact or be associated with this genetic influence. However, change in genetic and environmental influences over age, as well as how associations with measured environments change over age, is understudied.MethodsThe National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) sibling subsample was used to examine data-driven biometric models of alcohol use over ages 13 to 27. Associations between friends' drinking, parental autonomy granting, and maternal closeness were also examined.ResultsThe best-fitting model included a 5-factor model consisting of early (ages 13 to 20) and overall (ages 13 to 27) additive genetic and unique environmental factors, as well as 1 overall common environment factor. The overall additive genetic factor and the early unique environment factor explained the preponderance of mean differences in the alcohol use over this portion of the life span. The most important factors explaining variance attributed to alcohol use changed over age. Additionally, friend use had the strongest associations with genetic and environmental factors at all ages, while parenting practices had almost no associations at any age.ConclusionsThese results supplement previous studies indicating changes in genetic and environmental influences in alcohol use over adolescence and adulthood. However, prior research suggesting that constraining exogenous predictors of genetic and environmental factors to have effects of the same magnitude across age overlooks the differential role of factors associated with alcohol use during adolescence. Consonant with previous research, friend use appears to have a more pervasive influence on alcohol use than parental influence during this age. Interventions and prevention programs geared toward reducing alcohol use in younger populations may benefit from focus on peer influence.

Dataset Information

Depressive symptoms and alcohol use are genetically and environmentally correlated across adolescence.

Publications

Depressive symptoms and alcohol use are genetically and environmentally correlated across adolescence.

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