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Genetic and Environmental Influences on Stages of Alcohol Use Across Adolescence and into Young Adulthood

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Abstract

The progression to alcohol dependence unfolds across multiple stages, including the decision to initiate use, the development of regular patterns of use, and (for some individuals) the subsequent development of problems associated with alcohol use. Using data from two population-based, longitudinal twin studies, FinnTwin16 (FT16) and FinnTwin12 (FT12), we applied multiple stage genetic models (Heath et al., Twin Res. 5 (2002) 113) to better understand the extent to which genetic and environmental influences impact the initiation of alcohol use, frequency of use in adolescence and young adulthood, and alcohol problems in young adulthood. Shared environmental factors played a large role in initiation, and a more moderate role on frequency of use, and it was largely the same influences acting across these stages of use. However, there was no significant evidence of shared environmental influences on alcohol problems in early adulthood. Problems were largely influenced by genetic factors that overlapped with genetic influences on frequency of use. Unique environmental factors were largely specific to each stage, with some overlap between alcohol problems and frequency of use at age 25.

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Acknowledgments

The Finnish Twin studies have been supported by the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (grants AA-12502, AA-00145, AA-08315, and AA-09203 to RJR), the Academy of Finland (grants # 100499 and 44069 to JK) the Finnish Centre of Excellence Programme (to LP) and by grants from the Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation (to JK).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Jason L. Pagan & Danielle M. Dick

  2. Department of Psychology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

    Richard J. Rose & Richard J. Viken

  3. University of Jyväskylä, Jyvaskyla, Finland

    Lea Pulkkinen

  4. University of Helsinki & National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland

    Jaakko Kaprio

  5. Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, Box 8134, 660 South Euclid, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA

    Danielle M. Dick

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  1. Jason L. Pagan
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  2. Richard J. Rose
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  3. Richard J. Viken
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  4. Lea Pulkkinen
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  5. Jaakko Kaprio
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  6. Danielle M. Dick
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Correspondence to Danielle M. Dick.

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Pagan, J., Rose, R., Viken, R. et al. Genetic and Environmental Influences on Stages of Alcohol Use Across Adolescence and into Young Adulthood. Behav Genet 36, 483–497 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-006-9062-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-006-9062-y

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