Despite these limitations, this study provided modest but consistent evidence across multiple samples and multiple sets of polygenic scores that suggests a genetic architecture underlying alcohol use disorders and problems that does not wholly overlap between population-based versus clinically ascertained samples. Our findings indicate that these and, likely, other sample characteristics need to be taken into account in the design and implementation of research studies, and in our efforts to understand the genetic and environmental etiology of the costly and challenging public health problem of alcohol use disorders.
