Previous studies of marital status as a moderator of genetic risk for alcohol outcomes have typically utilized cross-sectional studies, without considering the role of development. We examined whether marriage was a relevant moderator of genetic risk on alcohol use using a developmental framework in a sample of young adults enriched for risk. We observed pathogenic gene-by-environment effects among married individuals at age 21, but these effects decayed over time. Additionally, this work can be expanded to more critically examine the pathogenic effect of early marriage on genetic risk for alcohol use. Finally, future research should examine whether these findings extend to developmentally off-time marriages in the opposite direction (i.e., individuals whose first marriage occurs much later in life), particularly in view of findings that individuals who are at-risk for alcohol problems (by virtue of family history) or have alcohol problems themselves tend to marry later (Salvatore et al., 2018; Waldron et al., 2011). Overall, our findings highlight the importance of utilizing a gene-by-environment-by-development approach and considering the consequences of developmentally off-time events.
