Genetic Modification of the Relationship between Parental Rejection and Adolescent Alcohol Use

Citation

Stogner, John M. & Gibson, Chris L. (2016). Genetic Modification of the Relationship between Parental Rejection and Adolescent Alcohol Use. Alcohol and Alcoholism. vol. 51 (4) pp. 442-449

Abstract

AIMS: Parenting practices are associated with adolescents' alcohol consumption, however not all youth respond similarly to challenging family situations and harsh environments. This study examines the relationship between perceived parental rejection and adolescent alcohol use, and specifically evaluates whether youth who possess greater genetic sensitivity to their environment are more susceptible to negative parental relationships. METHODS: Analyzing data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, we estimated a series of regression models predicting alcohol use during adolescence. A multiplicative interaction term between parental rejection and a genetic index was constructed to evaluate this potential gene-environment interaction. RESULTS: Results from logistic regression analyses show a statistically significant gene-environment interaction predicting alcohol use. The relationship between parental rejection and alcohol use was moderated by the genetic index, indicating that adolescents possessing more 'risk alleles' for five candidate genes were affected more by stressful parental relationships. CONCLUSIONS: Feelings of parental rejection appear to influence the alcohol use decisions of youth, but they do not do so equally for all. Higher scores on the constructed genetic sensitivity measure are related to increased susceptibility to negative parental relationships.

URL

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26755638

Keyword(s)

STRESSFUL LIFE EVENTS

Notes

1464-3502 Stogner, John M Gibson, Chris L Journal article Alcohol Alcohol. 2016 Jan 11. pii: agv136.

Reference Type

Journal Article

Journal Title

Alcohol and Alcoholism

Author(s)

Stogner, John M.
Gibson, Chris L.

Year Published

2016

Volume Number

51

Issue Number

4

Pages

442-449

Edition

January 11, 2016

DOI

10.1093/alcalc/agv136

Reference ID

8007