Citation

Schuckit MA, Smith TL, Rana B, Mendoza LA, Clarke D, Kawamura M. Alcohol Clin. Exp. Res. 2019; 43(7): 1384-1390.

Affiliation

University of California, San Diego, Department of Psychiatry, 8950 Villa La Jolla Dr, Suite B-218, La Jolla, California, United States, 92037.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/acer.14038

PMID

30933364

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Low responses (low LRs) to alcohol established using the Self Report of Effects of alcohol (SRE) questionnaire are genetically-influenced phenotypes related to heavy drinking and alcohol problems. To date, most studies using SREs focused on scores for the number of drinks needed for effects the first five times drinking (SRE-5), and few evaluated scores that also included the prior 3-months and heaviest drinking periods (SRE-T). This paper evaluates characteristics of SRE-5 and SRE-T within and across generations.

METHODS: Data were extracted from 407 participants across two generations of 107 families in the San Diego Prospective Study (SDPS). Pearson Product Moment correlations for SRE-5 and SRE-T were determined across first degree relatives both within and across generations and sexes, as well as correlations of each measure to maximum drinking quantities and alcohol problems.

RESULTS: Responding to four hypotheses, the analyses first demonstrated significant within-generation positive correlations for both SRE measures across brother-brother and sister-sister pairs as well as for cross-generation correlations for fathers and sons, although correlations for mothers and daughters were not robust. Second, both SRE-5 and SRE-T correlated with maximum drinks and alcohol problems for both sexes and both generations. Third, within parental and offspring generations SRE-T correlated more robustly than SRE-5 to maximum drinks and alcohol problems. Fourth, across generations SRE values for sons were more closely related to drinking quantities and problems than for their fathers, but the mother-daughter SRE relationships to adverse alcohol characteristics were not different.

CONCLUSIONS: Both the SRE-5 and SRE-T offered useful information about propensities toward heavier drinking and alcohol problems in SDPS families. Correlations with adverse alcohol outcomes were greater for the more broad-based SRE-T, but both scores appeared to be genetically influenced and continue to operate in a robust manner in both generations of these families. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

alcohol problems; heavy drinking; level of response; self-report of the effects of alcohol questionnaire