Alcohol Misuse Across the Life Span: Insights From Developmental Studies in Behavior Genetics

Jeanne E. Savage; Elizabeth C. Long; Sally I.Chun Kuo; Megan E. Cooke; Jinni Su; Peter B. Barr; Jessica E. Salvatore

doi:10.1177/2372732217720222

Alcohol Misuse Across the Life Span: Insights From Developmental Studies in Behavior Genetics

Jeanne E. Savage^*, Elizabeth C. Long, Sally I.Chun Kuo, Megan E. Cooke, Jinni Su, Peter B. Barr, Jessica E. Salvatore

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to Journal › Review article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Alcohol misuse, one of today’s greatest public health challenges, is a developmentally dynamic, complex behavior at the intersection of genetic and environmental influences. This review examines such influences from a behavior genetics perspective and discusses implications for public policy. Alcohol misuse is moderately heritable with genetic influences accounting for around 50% of its variance, but to date, few specific genes have been identified. However, numerous environmental and social factors moderate genetic risk, including parents, peers, romantic partners, family dynamics, employment, laws, and cultural influences. These moderating factors change in salience across development, and accordingly, no one-size-fits-all approach is suitable for reducing alcohol misuse at a large scale. We provide examples of some effective prevention and intervention programs and discuss a framework for using the behavior genetics evidence to inform future public policy efforts.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	186-193
Number of pages	8
Journal	Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences
Volume	4
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/2372732217720222
Publication status	Published - 1 Oct 2017
Externally published	Yes

Funding

The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The authors of this work were supported by grants F31AA024378 (Savage), F31AA024380 (Cooke), K01AA024152 (Salvatore) from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The funding agencies had no further role in the preparation of this work or the decision to submit the manuscript for publication, and the content does not necessarily reflect the official views of these organizations.

Funders	Funder number
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism	F31AA024378, K01AA024152, F31AA024380

Keywords

alcohol misuse
alcohol use disorder
behavior genetics
development
public policy

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1177/2372732217720222

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title = "Alcohol Misuse Across the Life Span: Insights From Developmental Studies in Behavior Genetics",

abstract = "Alcohol misuse, one of today{\textquoteright}s greatest public health challenges, is a developmentally dynamic, complex behavior at the intersection of genetic and environmental influences. This review examines such influences from a behavior genetics perspective and discusses implications for public policy. Alcohol misuse is moderately heritable with genetic influences accounting for around 50% of its variance, but to date, few specific genes have been identified. However, numerous environmental and social factors moderate genetic risk, including parents, peers, romantic partners, family dynamics, employment, laws, and cultural influences. These moderating factors change in salience across development, and accordingly, no one-size-fits-all approach is suitable for reducing alcohol misuse at a large scale. We provide examples of some effective prevention and intervention programs and discuss a framework for using the behavior genetics evidence to inform future public policy efforts.",

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AU - Savage, Jeanne E.

AU - Long, Elizabeth C.

AU - Kuo, Sally I.Chun

AU - Cooke, Megan E.

AU - Su, Jinni

AU - Barr, Peter B.

AU - Salvatore, Jessica E.

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N2 - Alcohol misuse, one of today’s greatest public health challenges, is a developmentally dynamic, complex behavior at the intersection of genetic and environmental influences. This review examines such influences from a behavior genetics perspective and discusses implications for public policy. Alcohol misuse is moderately heritable with genetic influences accounting for around 50% of its variance, but to date, few specific genes have been identified. However, numerous environmental and social factors moderate genetic risk, including parents, peers, romantic partners, family dynamics, employment, laws, and cultural influences. These moderating factors change in salience across development, and accordingly, no one-size-fits-all approach is suitable for reducing alcohol misuse at a large scale. We provide examples of some effective prevention and intervention programs and discuss a framework for using the behavior genetics evidence to inform future public policy efforts.

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Alcohol Misuse Across the Life Span: Insights From Developmental Studies in Behavior Genetics

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

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