Citation

Mackie CJ, Conrod PJ, Rijsdijk F, Eley TC. Alcohol Clin. Exp. Res. 2011; 35(3): 420-430.

Affiliation

From the Division of Psychological Medicine and Psychiatry (CJM, PJC), Addictions Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings' College London, London, UK; and Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre (FR, TCE), Institute of Psychiatry, Kings' College London, London, UK.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1530-0277.2010.01359.x

PMID

21143243

Abstract

Background:  Alcohol use motives are closely associated with specific profiles of alcohol use and reflect a subjectively derived decisional framework based on a motivational style of responding. Adult twin studies typically estimate the heritability of alcohol use motives to be between 7 and 42%, although relatively little is known about genetic and environmental influences upon alcohol use motives in adolescence. Methods:  Latent class analysis (LCA) models containing 1 through 5 classes were fitted to the data derived from 1,422 adolescent twin and siblings self-reported alcohol use motives. Using twin models, we estimated the genetic, shared, and nonshared environmental influences to the class membership data derived from the LCA. Results:  Four drinking motives classes were identified (family-oriented, social, enhancement/social, and coping/social). The coping/social and enhancement/social classes were differentiated from the social class on measures of depression, delinquency, and aggressive behavior. Analyses indicated that nonadditive genetic factors accounted for 76% of the variance in the coping/social motives class and additive genetic influences accounted for 66% of the variance in the social motives class. There was a moderate contribution of genetic factors and shared environmental factors influencing class membership of enhancement/social motivated drinkers (28 and 20% explained variance, respectively). Substantial shared environmental influences were revealed for membership of the family-oriented class (75%). Conclusions:  Heritable influences may predispose individuals to drink to cope with negative affect, for social reasons, and to a lesser extent for enhancement. Familial environmental influences shape family-oriented motives for drinking in adolescents.

Language: en