Examining genetic, family, and personality characteristics may help identify those who are at high risk for drinking and drinking problems as teenagers. A study, published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research, found these factors to be associated with drinking behaviors during teenage and early adulthood and could be used to identify teens who would benefit from prevention and intervention strategies to reduce their risk of developing drinking problems.

The study analyzed data from a large cohort of children born in England between 1991 and 1992 to identify the relationship between genetic, familial, and psychosocial factors and their drinking behaviors from ages 16 to 23. Researchers looked specifically at factors that have been shown in prior studies to put teens at higher risk for alcohol use, including genes, family history of drinking problems, personality traits, symptoms of depression, smoking, and social factors like parental oversight and peer groups. Estimates from recent large genome studies were used to classify the genes associated with alcohol consumption and drinking-related problems.

The study found that genetic risk factors were associated with alcohol consumption at the first study point, age 16, but were not associated with changes in alcohol consumption or drinking problems over time, suggesting that different sets of genes may be associated with drinking behaviors at different developmental stages.

Family history was strongly associated with drinking-related problems. The rate of drinking-related problems in children who had a family history of alcohol problems was higher at age 16, slowed in later adolescence, and then grew more rapidly in young adulthood.

Personality traits also showed strong associations with alcohol use. Antisocial behavior was one of the strongest predictors for both alcohol consumption and drinking-related problems. Cigarette smoking was associated with more drinking problems at age 16, but a slower increase in those problems as teens grew older.

Girls had higher levels of alcohol problems than boys at age 16, although they did not have higher alcohol consumption than boys at any time point. After age 18, there were no differences between boys and girls.  

The study’s findings may help with early identification of children at higher risk for alcohol use as teens, who may benefit from prevention and intervention strategies to prevent problem drinking.

(Newswise/HG)