List of Titles

High-intensity drinking in adult Australian twins

- Dash, Genevieve, Davis, Christal, Martin, Nicholas, Statham, Dixie, Lynskey, Michael, Slutske, Wendy

Authors: Dash, Genevieve , Davis, Christal , Martin, Nicholas , Statham, Dixie , Lynskey, Michael , Slutske, Wendy
Date: 2020
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Alcoholism: clinical and experimental research Vol. 44, no. 2 (2020), p. 522-531
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Description: Background: Many adult drinkers consume far beyond the binge threshold. This “high-intensity drinking” (HID), defined as 2 (HID-2) and 3 (HID-3) times the binge threshold, is of public health interest due to its role in acute alcohol-related harms. Research on HID has mostly been limited to college-aged young adults, focused on contextual factors, and neglected the potential role of genetic influences on the propensity to engage in HID. Methods: Structured diagnostic interviews assessing past-year alcohol involvement were conducted with 3,785 individuals (1,365 men, 2,420 women; Mage = 32, range = 21 to 46), including 3,314 twins and 471 nontwin siblings from the Australian Twin Registry. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to compare HID-2 and HID-3 to binge drinking on demographic correlates, drinking characteristics, and drinking-related consequences. Biometric modeling was conducted to estimate the role of genetic, common, and individual-specific environmental factors in HID propensity. Results: Among past-year drinkers, the prevalence of HID-2 and HID-3 was both 22%, with men disproportionally represented. The frequencies of drinking, intoxication, and binge drinking significantly increased across the heavier drinking categories, which also evidenced higher average consumption quantities and higher rates of alcohol-related consequences. The propensity to engage in HID was significantly heritable (A = 37% [95% CI: 28 to 46%]), with individual-specific environmental influences accounting for the remainder of the variance. Conclusions: This study convincingly demonstrates that HID is not restricted to college-aged young adults, but also can be highly prevalent among those of working age, and that the propensity to engage in HID is partially explained by genetic influences. © 2020 by the Research Society on Alcoholism

Adolescent substance use and high school noncompletion : exploring the nature of the relationship using a discordant twin design

- Davis, Christal, Gizer, Ian, Lynskey, Michael, Statham, Dixie, Heath, Andrew, Martin, Nicholas, Slutske, Wendy

Authors: Davis, Christal , Gizer, Ian , Lynskey, Michael , Statham, Dixie , Heath, Andrew , Martin, Nicholas , Slutske, Wendy
Date: 2023
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Addiction Vol. 118, no. 1 (2023), p. 167-176
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Description: Background and Aims: Previous studies have demonstrated associations between substance use and reduced educational attainment; however, many were unable to account for potential confounding factors like genetics and the rearing environment. In the few studies that controlled for these factors, the substances assessed were limited to alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco. To address these limitations, we examined the relationship between adolescent use of seven kinds of substances, the number of additional substances used, and high school noncompletion within a large sample of Australian twins. Design: A series of two-level generalized mixed effects logistic regressions were conducted to examine associations between adolescent substance use and high school noncompletion. Setting: Australia. Participants: A total of 9579 adult Australian twins from two cohorts of the Australian Twin Registry. Measurements: Assessments of high school completion, childhood major depression, conduct disorder symptoms, substance use initiation, demographics, and parental educational attainment using the Australian version of the Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism. Findings: There were unique within-twin-pair effects of use of sedatives (odds ratio [OR] = 22.39 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.18–423.48]) and inhalants/solvents (OR = 10.46 [95% CI = 1.30–84.16]) on high school noncompletion. The number of substances used in adolescence was strongly associated with high school noncompletion across all discordant twin models (ORs from 1.50–2.32, Ps < 0.03). Conclusions: In Australia, adolescent substance use appears to be associated with early school dropout, with the effects of any given substance largely because of the confounding factors of parental education, childhood conduct disorder symptoms, and use of other substances. Sedatives and inhalants/solvents have effects on high school noncompletion that cannot be explained by polysubstance use or familial factors. © 2022 Society for the Study of Addiction.

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