Sibling effects on substance use: Disentangling genetic and environmental factors

描述（由申请人提供）：本项目的主要目标是（1）检查影响物质使用开始时间的遗传和环境因素，并解释早期首次使用和以后问题之间的联系;（2）评估兄弟姐妹效应作为家庭影响开始和发展问题的来源;以及（3）将有关酒精参与的调查结果与其他滥用物质的调查结果相结合。我的长期职业目标是制定一项研究计划，通过确定酒精和其他物质参与的不同阶段的遗传和环境风险因素，为预防和干预策略提供信息。具体目标本提案有两个主要研究目标。第一个目标将采用酒精，烟草和大麻使用的措施，以检查物质的具体和共同的风险来源，为早期开始和发展到更重的使用和问题。风险来源将在潜在遗传和环境水平以及测量的遗传水平上进行评估。第二个目标将评估兄弟姐妹的社会影响对酒精，烟草和大麻的参与方面的物质使用启动的时间和从启动到更重的使用和问题的进展。分析将在两个数据集中进行：（1）在12-32岁的四个波中评估不同遗传相关性的双胞胎和兄弟姐妹样本;和（2）24-40岁的成年双胞胎对及其兄弟姐妹的全国社区样本。在获奖期间，我将通过课程作业，参加教学研讨会以及与行为遗传学，分子遗传学和纵向数据分析先进统计方法的专家顾问会议获得培训，并将增加我的知识基础烟草和大麻参与的发展和进展。我还将致力于成为熟练的技能，有效的手稿和赠款写作。这些培训机会对于实现当前项目的目标和我成为研究型大学教授的长期目标都是必不可少的。该项目的结果可以为酒精和其他物质参与的理论和发展模型以及以家庭为基础的干预工作提供信息。将酒精的发现与其他物质的发现相结合 对滥用的认识和澄清药物特异性和常见的启动和进展风险因素将表明哪些干预策略可能产生最广泛的影响。此外，研究结果将有助于确定是否以及如何针对兄弟姐妹对物质使用的影响，这在侧重于父母和同伴因素的预防模型中基本上被忽视了。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The broad goals of this project are to (1) examine the genetic and environmental factors that influence the timing of substance use initiation and explain the link between early first use and later problems; (2) evaluate sibling effects as a source of familial influence on initiation and progression toward problems; and (3) integrate findings regarding alcohol involvement with those for other substances of abuse. My long-term career objective is to develop a program of research that informs prevention and intervention strategies by identifying genetic and environmental risk factors for different stages of alcohol and other substance involvement. Specific Aims There are two primary research aims of this proposal. The first aim will employ measures of alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use to examine both substance-specific and common sources of risk for early age of initiation and the progression to heavier use and problems. Sources of risk will be evaluated at both the latent genetic and environmental levels and the measured genetic level. The second aim will evaluate the effect of sibling social influence on alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis involvement with regard to both the timing of substance use initiation and the progression from initiation to heavier use and problems. Analyses will be conducted in two datasets: (1) a sample of twins and siblings of varying genetic relatedness assessed in four waves from ages 12-32; and (2) a national community-based sample of adult twin pairs and their siblings aged 24-40. During the period of award, I will obtain training via coursework, attendance at didactic workshops, and meetings with expert consultants in advanced statistical methods for behavior genetic, molecular genetic, and longitudinal data analysis, and will increase my knowledge base of the development and progression of tobacco and cannabis involvement. I will also aim to become proficient in skills necessary for effective manuscript- and grant-writing. These training opportunities will be essential both for the goals of the current project and for my long-term goal of becoming a professor at a research-intensive university. Significance Results from this project could inform theoretical and developmental models of alcohol and other substance involvement, as well as family-based intervention efforts. Integrating findings for alcohol with those for other substances of abuse and clarifying both substance-specific and common risk factors for initiation and progression will indicate which intervention strategies are likely to have the most widespread effects. In addition, findings will help determine whether and how to target sibling influences on substance use, which have been largely ignored in prevention models focused on parent and peer factors.