Genetic and environmental risk factors for the onset of drug use and problems in adoptees

Douglas R Langbehn; Remi J Cadoret; Kristin Caspers; Edward P Troughton; Rebecca Yucuis

doi:10.1016/S0376-8716(02)00310-1

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Genetic and environmental risk factors for the onset of drug use and problems in adoptees

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Genetic and environmental risk factors for the onset of drug use and problems in adoptees

Douglas R Langbehn, Remi J Cadoret, Kristin Caspers, Edward P Troughton and Rebecca Yucuis

Drug and alcohol dependence, Vol.69(2), pp.151-167

2003

DOI: 10.1016/S0376-8716(02)00310-1

PMID: 12609696

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Abstract

Applying survival analysis methodology to age-of-onset data from an adoption study ( N=196), we present evidence that risks for both drug use and drug problems (DSM abuse or dependence) are elevated when combined antisocial personality (ASP) and substance abuse is present in the same biological parent. It is increased not only in comparison to adoptees with no known biological risk, but also when compared to adoptees with a biological background for only substance problems or only ASP. Neither of these later groups showed a statistically higher risk when compared with controls. Among adoptees with recurrent drug use, adolescent aggressivity is also elevated when the combined substance abuse/ASP biological diathesis is present. Statistical control for aggressivity diminished but did not eliminate the predictive significance of the combined biological diathesis for drug problems. We also verify, using more refined methodology, our previous reports of gender and adverse adoptive environmental influences on drug-related outcomes in these subjects. We could not document a biology–environment interaction, but power to do so was rather low. We argue that the observed biological associations are broadly consistent with generalization to other substances of an alcoholism phenotype similar to Cloninger's Type II or Babor's Type B.

Drug abuse

Survival analysis

Genetics

Substance abuse

Adoption studies

Drug dependence

Details

Title: Subtitle: Genetic and environmental risk factors for the onset of drug use and problems in adoptees
Creators: Douglas R Langbehn - Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, 5107 Westlawn Building, Iowa City, IA 52246, USA
Remi J Cadoret - Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, 5107 Westlawn Building, Iowa City, IA 52246, USA
Kristin Caspers - Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, 5107 Westlawn Building, Iowa City, IA 52246, USA
Edward P Troughton - Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, 5107 Westlawn Building, Iowa City, IA 52246, USA
Rebecca Yucuis - Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, 5107 Westlawn Building, Iowa City, IA 52246, USA
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Drug and alcohol dependence, Vol.69(2), pp.151-167
DOI: 10.1016/S0376-8716(02)00310-1
PMID: 12609696
NLM abbreviation: Drug Alcohol Depend
ISSN: 0376-8716
eISSN: 1879-0046
Publisher: Elsevier Ireland Ltd
Language: English
Date published: 2003
Academic Unit: Psychiatry; Epidemiology; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
Record Identifier: 9984003993402771

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