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Common genetic risk factors for conduct disorder and alcohol dependence.
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1998
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Substance UseGenetic EpidemiologyTotal VariationPsychologyAlcohol MisuseChildhood Conduct DisorderPsychoactive Substance UsePublic HealthAddiction GeneticsBehavioral SciencesPsychiatryAlcohol AbuseAd LiabilityGenetic FactorAlcohol DependenceSubstance AbuseAddictionSubstance AddictionMedicine
The study examined the association between childhood conduct disorder and alcohol dependence in 2,682 adult twin pairs. Strong associations were found between CD and AD, largely driven by shared genetic factors that explain a substantial portion of AD liability, indicating common genetic risk factors or that CD itself is a genetically influenced risk factor for AD.
The association between retrospectively reported childhood conduct disorder (CD) and a history of alcohol dependence (AD) was examined in a sample of 2,682 male, female, and unlike-sex adult twin pairs. There was a strong association between CD and AD in both men (tetrachoric r = .34, odds ratio = 2.8) and women (tetrachoric r = .53, odds ratio = 9.9). Genetic factors accounted for most of the association between CD and AD liability in men and women, with the remainder of the association being due to nonshared individual-specific environmental factors. Genetic influences common to CD and AD accounted for 17% and 35% of the genetic variation in AD liability in men and women, respectively, and accounted for 11% and 23% of the total variation in AD liability in men and women, respectively. The results suggest that there are common genetic risk factors for CD and AD or that CD itself is an important genetically influenced risk factor for AD.