ALDH2, ADH1B and Alcohol Expectancies in Asian Americans

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Recent evidence suggests increasing rates of heavy drinking and alcohol use disorders among Asian Americans. Polymorphisms in ALDH2 and ADH1B genotypes are demonstrated to influence alcohol sensitivity and drinking behavior in Asians, however, few studies have attempted to examine genetic factors in context with psychosocial theories of alcohol use. The overarching aim of this research is to identify psychosocial mechanisms by which genetic factors influence drinking in Asian Americans. It is proposed that alcohol expectancy theory offers a tenable conceptual framework through which genetic effects on drinking may be understood, and that expectancies specific to the "flushing response" to alcohol (i.e., physiological expectancies) mediate genetic influences on drinking. In Study 1, qualitative methods will be employed to develop a novel measure of physiological expectancies specific to the flushing response associated with variation in ALHD2 and ADH1B genotypes. Study 2 seeks to validate this measure in a sample of 300 Asian Americans. Study 3 will recruit 180 Chinese- and Korean-American undergraduates from an ongoing study of college student drinking and will employ genotyping procedures to establish ALDH2 and ADH1B status. Relationships between genetic factors and expectancies will be examined, and expectancies will be evaluated as a mediator of genetic effects on drinking. Ethnic and gender differences will also be examined. By jointly examining genetic and psychosocial factors related to drinking, this research aims to further a biopsychosocial account of alcohol use etiology in Asian Americans.