The associations between polygenic risk, sensation seeking, social support, and alcohol use in adulthood.
- Authors
- Su, Jinni; Kuo, Sally I-Chun; Aliev, Fazil; Chan, Grace; Edenberg, Howard J; Kamarajan, Chella; McCutcheon, Vivia V; Meyers, Jacquelyn L; Schuckit, Marc; Tischfield, Jay; Dick, Danielle M
- Year
- 2021
- Journal
- Journal of abnormal psychology
- PMID
- 34472888
- DOI
- 10.1037/abn0000568
- PMCID
- PMC10882995
Genetic predispositions play an important role in alcohol use. Understanding the psychosocial mechanisms through which genetic risk unfolds to influence alcohol use outcomes is critical for identifying modifiable targets and developing prevention and intervention efforts. In this study, we examined the role of sensation seeking and social support from family and friends in linking genetic risk to alcohol use. We also examined the role of social support in moderating the associations between genetic risk and sensation seeking and alcohol use. Data were drawn from a sample of 2,836 European American adults from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (46% male, mean age = 35.65, standard deviation [] = 10.78). Results from path analysis indicated that genome-wide polygenic scores for alcohol consumption (alc-GPS) were associated with higher sensation seeking, which in turn was associated with higher levels of alcohol use. alc-GPS was also associated with higher alcohol use indirectly via lower levels of family support. In addition, high friend support attenuated the association between alc-GPS and sensation seeking and alcohol use. The pattern of associations was similar for males and females, with some differences in the associations between social support and alcohol use observed across age. Our findings highlight the important role of intermediate phenotypes and gene-environment interplay in the pathways of risk from genetic predispositions to complex alcohol use outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Alternative Conceptual Models Linking Polygenic Risk Score, Sensation Seeking, Social Support, and Alcohol Consumption.
LLM interpretation
This figure consists of two conceptual diagrams (Panel A and Panel B) illustrating proposed pathways between a polygenic risk score (Alc-GPS) and alcohol consumption (T2 Alcohol Consumption). Panel A shows Alc-GPS as a direct predictor of alcohol consumption and as an indirect predictor mediated by T1 Sensation Seeking, T2 Family Support, and T2 Friend Support. Panel B depicts a modified model where T2 Family and Friend Support act as moderators of the relationships between Alc-GPS, T1 Sensation Seeking, and alcohol consumption.
Path Model Examining Sensation Seeking and Social Support as Indirect Pathways Linking Alc-GPS and Alcohol UseNote. Standardized path coefficients are presented. alc-GPS = alcohol consumption genome-wide polygenic scores. Age at T1, sex, and the first three genetic ancestry principal components were included as covariates for alcohol use, sensation seeking, and family/friend support. Family support and friend support were specified to be correlated with each other in the path model (correlation not shown in figure). *p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001. N = 2,836. Solid paths are statistically significant; dashed paths are not statistically significant; bolded paths indicate statistically significant indirect pathways. For the path coefficients that differed significantly across age groups, group-specific coefficients are presented in parentheses (emerging/young/middle adulthood)
LLM interpretation
This is a path model diagram illustrating the indirect and direct relationships between alcohol consumption genome-wide polygenic scores (Alc-GPS) and T2 Alcohol Use. Significant positive paths are shown from Alc-GPS to T1 Sensation Seeking ($\beta = .07, p < .001$) and directly to T2 Alcohol Use ($\beta = .08, p < .001$), while a significant negative path exists from Alc-GPS to T2 Family Support ($\beta = -.05, p < .05$). T1 Sensation Seeking and T2 Friend Support show significant positive associations with T2 Alcohol Use, whereas the path from T2 Family Support to T2 Alcohol Use is non-significant (dashed line).
Friend Support Moderates the Associations between alc-GPS/Sensation Seeking and Alcohol Use.
LLM interpretation
This figure consists of two line graphs (Panel A and Panel B) showing the moderating effect of friend support on alcohol use. In both panels, the y-axis represents "Alcohol Use (Drinks per Week)" and the x-axis represents levels of Alc-GPS (Panel A) and Sensation Seeking (Panel B). For both predictors, alcohol use increases more steeply as the predictor increases for the "Low Friend Support" group (solid line) compared to the "High Friend Support" group (dashed line), which remains relatively stable.
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| Risk Factors for Binge Drinking in Young Adulthood: The Roles of Aggregate Genetic Liability and Impulsivity-Related Processes. | Lannoy S et al. | — | 2023 | → |
| Sensation Seeking and Substance use in Chinese Adolescents: Longitudinal Trajectories and Prospective Within-person Associations. | Shen T et al. | — | 2023 | → |
| The collaborative study on the genetics of alcoholism: Sample and clinical data. | Dick DM et al. | — | 2023 | → |