The robust association between childhood conduct disorder and adulthood AUD is in accordance with findings indicating that those who initiate alcohol drinking at early age are at much-elevated risk for developing AUD [59]. However, a recent study found that this is mainly because early age of initiation is a major indicator of genetic risk [32]. This genetic liability is partially shared with childhood conduct disorder [60], which mediates the effects of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder on AUD, for example [61]. But in addition to genetic factors, environmental factors, such as peer deviance and coercive parent-child interactions, affect the development of conduct disorder [62,63], and the present study suggests that these factors also increase AUD risk in adulthood. Therefore, preventive efforts targeting environmental risk factors of childhood conduct disorder might reduce adulthood AUD by interrupting ‘vicious developmental circles’. In contrast, containment of the genetically influenced tendency towards self-harming impulsive behaviors, including alcohol abuse, may require more systematic, life-long efforts.
