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Polygenic Risk for Aggression Predicts Adult Substance Use Disorder Diagnoses via Substance Use Offending in Emerging Adulthood and is Moderated by a Family-Centered Intervention

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Abstract

A substance use offense reflects an encounter with law enforcement and the court system in response to breaking the law which may increase risk for substance use problems later in life. Individuals may also be at risk for substance use offending and substance use problems based on genetic predisposition. We examined a mediation model in which polygenic risk for aggression predicted adult substance use disorder diagnoses (SUD) via substance use offending in emerging adulthood. In addition, we explored for potential attenuation of genetic influences on these outcomes by a family-based intervention, the Family Check-Up (FCU). Secondary data analyses based upon the Project Alliance 1 sample was conducted among those with genetic data (n = 631; 322 from control and 309 from FCU intervention). The sample was ethnically diverse (30% African American, 44% European American, 6% Latinx, 4% Asian American, 3% Native American, and 13% Other). Greater polygenic risk for aggression was found to increase risk for substance use violations (age 19–23), which in turn was associated with greater likelihood of being diagnosed with SUD at age 27. A gene-by-intervention effect was found in which individuals in the control group had greater risk for SUD with increasing polygenic risk for aggression. Some convergence in results was found when replicating analyses in African American and European American subgroups. Results imply that genetic predisposition may increase risk for problematic substance use later in life via antisocial behavior, such as substance use offending, and that this can be attenuated by a family-centered intervention.

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Data Availability

Data are available upon reasonable request from the study PI.

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Funding

The research reported in this paper was supported by grants from the National Institute of Drug Abuse (DA07031 to Ha; DA042828 to Elam; DA049393 to Mun) as well as by the Office of the Director and Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (DA042828 to Elam). Additional support was given by the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse to (AA022071 to Ha). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the official views of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, or the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Health Science, Indiana University, 1025 E. 7th St., Suite 116, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

    Kit K. Elam & Jodi Kutzner

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA

    Chung Jung Mun

  3. Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University, Tempe, USA

    Chung Jung Mun

  4. Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, USA

    Thao Ha

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  1. Kit K. Elam
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  2. Chung Jung Mun
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  3. Jodi Kutzner
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  4. Thao Ha
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All authors contributed to writing of the manuscript. Kit Elam and Thao Ha contributed to conceptualization and design. Kit Elam contributed to analyses. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Kit K. Elam.

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Kit K. Elam, Chung Jung Mun, Jodi Kutzner and Thao Ha declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Elam, K.K., Mun, C.J., Kutzner, J. et al. Polygenic Risk for Aggression Predicts Adult Substance Use Disorder Diagnoses via Substance Use Offending in Emerging Adulthood and is Moderated by a Family-Centered Intervention. Behav Genet 51, 607–618 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-021-10070-y

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