Journal article
5-HTTLPR Status Moderates the Effect of Early Adolescent Substance Use on Risky Sexual Behavior
Health psychology, Vol.29(5), pp.471-476
09/2010
DOI: 10.1037/a0020594
PMCID: PMC3756608
PMID: 20836601
Abstract
Objective: A longitudinal, prospective design was used to investigate a moderation effect in the association between early adolescent substance use and risky sexual behavior 2 years later. A genetic vulnerability factor, a variable nucleotide repeat polymorphism (VNTR) in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene SLC6A4, known as 5-HTTLPR, was hypothesized to moderate the link between substance use at age 14 and risky sexual behavior at age 16. This VNTR has been associated with risk-taking behavior. Design: African American youths in rural Georgia (N = 185) provided 2 waves of data on their substance use and sexual behavior. Genetic data were obtained via saliva samples. Main Outcome Measures: Substance use and sexual risk behavior were assessed using youth self-report items developed for this investigation. Results: Multiple regression analyses indicated that the presence of 1 or 2 copies of the short allele of the VNTR interacted with substance use to predict sexual behavior. Substance use had little effect on sexual behavior for youths without the short allele; this effect was greatly increased for youths with the short allele. Conclusion: Genetic vulnerability affected the implications of early onset substance use for later sexual behavior.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- 5-HTTLPR Status Moderates the Effect of Early Adolescent Substance Use on Risky Sexual Behavior
- Creators
- Steven M Kogan - Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, Athens, GeorgiaSteven R. H Beach - Institute for Behavioral Research, University of Georgia, Athens, GeorgiaRobert A Philibert - Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IowaGene H Brody - Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, Athens, GeorgiaYi-fu Chen - Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, Athens, GeorgiaMan-Kit Lei - Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
- Contributors
- Robert M Kaplan (Editor)
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Health psychology, Vol.29(5), pp.471-476
- DOI
- 10.1037/a0020594
- PMID
- 20836601
- PMCID
- PMC3756608
- NLM abbreviation
- Health Psychol
- ISSN
- 0278-6133
- eISSN
- 1930-7810
- Publisher
- American Psychological Association
- Grant note
- DOI: 10.13039/100000027, name: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, award: 5R01AA012768
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 09/2010
- Academic Unit
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering; Psychiatry; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
- Record Identifier
- 9984070830002771
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