Genetic factors associated with suicidal behaviors and alcohol use disorders in an American Indian population.

American Indians (AI) demonstrate the highest rates of both suicidal behaviors (SB) and alcohol use disorders (AUD) among all ethnic groups in the US. Rates of suicide and AUD vary substantially between tribal groups and across different geographical regions, underscoring a need to delineate more specific risk and resilience factors. Using data from over 740 AI living within eight contiguous reservations, we assessed genetic risk factors for SB by investigating: (1) possible genetic overlap with AUD, and (2) impacts of rare and low-frequency genomic variants. Suicidal behaviors included lifetime history of suicidal thoughts and acts, including verified suicide deaths, scored using a ranking variable for the SB phenotype (range 0-4). We identified five loci significantly associated with SB and AUD, two of which are intergenic and three intronic on genes AACSP1, ANK1, and FBXO11. Nonsynonymous rare and low-frequency mutations in four genes including SERPINF1 (PEDF), ZNF30, CD34, and SLC5A9, and non-intronic rare and low-frequency mutations in genes OPRD1, HSD17B3 and one lincRNA were significantly associated with SB. One identified pathway related to hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) regulation, whose 83 nonsynonymous rare and low-frequency variants on 10 genes were significantly linked to SB as well. Four additional genes, and two pathways related to vasopressin-regulated water metabolism and cellular hexose transport, also were strongly associated with SB. This study represents the first investigation of genetic factors for SB in an American Indian population that has high risk for suicide. Our study suggests that bivariate association analysis between comorbid disorders can increase statistical power; and rare and low-frequency variant analysis in a high-risk population enabled by whole-genome sequencing has the potential to identify novel genetic factors. Although such findings may be population specific, rare functional mutations relating to PEDF and HIF regulation align with past reports and suggest a biological mechanism for suicide risk and a potential therapeutic target for intervention.

Protective effects of ethnic enclaves: Testing pathways to alcohol use and use disorders in Mexican American young adults.

Ethnic enclave residence is associated with decreased risk for drinking and related problems, but less is known about the mechanisms that explain this association. Informed by theories of social control, we used a multilevel framework to examine whether negative attitudes toward drinking mediated associations between ethnic enclave residence (i.e., neighborhood linguistic isolation) and alcohol outcomes among Mexican American young adults (N = 628) in Southern California. Model 1 assessed mediation effects in the pathways from linguistic isolation to current drinking and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Model 2 adjusted for parental drinking attitudes and neighborhood alcohol availability. There were differential associations by gender in direct effects of linguistic isolation and negative drinking attitudes on both drinking and AUD. Among women only, linguistic isolation was related to greater abstinence and decreased AUD after accounting for social control proxies of parent attitudes and alcohol availability. Young adults' own drinking attitudes did not mediate relationships between linguistic isolation and alcohol outcomes. This study offers evidence on the importance of disaggregating Hispanic national groups by gender to uncover social mechanisms within ethnic enclave settings for tailored supports in reducing risk of drinking and alcohol-related harms.

Inequitable access to general and behavioral healthcare in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic: A role for telehealth?

Wide-ranging effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have led to increased psychological distress and alcohol consumption, and disproportionate hardship for disadvantaged groups. Early in the pandemic, telehealth services were expanded to maintain healthcare access amidst lockdowns, medical office closures, and fear of infection. This study examines general and behavioral healthcare access and disparities during the first year of the pandemic. Data are from the 2019-2020 US National Alcohol Survey (collected February 2019 to April 2020) and its COVID follow-up survey conducted January 30 to March 28, 2021 (N = 1819). General and behavioral healthcare-related outcomes were assessed at follow-up, and included perceived need for and receipt of care, delayed care, and use of telehealth since April 1, 2020. Results indicate that the majority of respondents with perceived need for healthcare received some behavioral healthcare (reported by 63%) and particularly general healthcare (88%), but nearly half (48%) delayed needed care. Delays were mostly due to COVID-related reasons, but cost barriers also were common and significantly impeded care-seeking by uninsured persons, young adults, rural residents, and persons whose employment was reduced by the pandemic. Disparities in the receipt of healthcare were pronounced for Hispanic/Latinx (vs. White) and lower-income (vs. higher-income) groups (AORs <0.37, p's < 0.05). Notably, telehealth was commonly used by Hispanic/Latinx and lower-income groups for general and particularly behavioral healthcare. Results suggest that telehealth has provided an important bridge to healthcare for certain medically underserved groups during the pandemic, and may be vital to future efforts to increase equity in healthcare access.

Mapping COVID vulnerability in relation to drug and alcohol recovery residence availability across the United States.

Recovery housing is an important resource for those in recovery from substance use disorders. Unfortunately, we know little about its relationship to key community health risk and protective factors, potentially limiting the role it could play as a broader health resource. Leveraging county-level data on recovery residences from the National Study of Treatment and Addiction Recovery Residences (NSTARR), this study used multilevel modeling to examine Community COVID Vulnerability Index (CCVI) scores as well as availability of COVID testing and vaccination sites in relation to recovery housing. CCVI composite scores were positively associated with recovery housing availability. Analyses using CCVI thematic sub-scores found that population density and number of churches were positively associated with recovery housing availability, while epidemiological factors and healthcare system factors were negatively associated with recovery housing availability. In counties with recovery housing, there also was a positive association between CCVI and both COVID testing and vaccination availability. Recovery residences tend to be located in areas of high COVID vulnerability, reflecting effective targeting in areas with higher population density, more housing risk factors, and other high-risk environments and signaling a key point of contact to address broader health issues among those in recovery from substance use disorders.

Longitudinal assessment of drinking changes during the pandemic: The 2021 COVID-19 follow-up study to the 2019 to 2020 National Alcohol Survey.

BACKGROUND: Surveys of changes in drinking during the COVID-19 pandemic have primarily relied on retrospective self-report. Further, most such surveys have not included detailed measures of alcohol use patterns, such as beverage-specific consumption, nor measures of alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms that would allow a comprehensive understanding of changes in alcohol use. METHODS: Data from 1819 completed interviews from the N14C follow-up survey to the 2019 to 2020 National Alcohol Survey (N14) were conducted between January 30 and March 28, 2021. Questions on alcohol use from the Graduated Frequency series, beverage-specific quantity and frequency, and DSM-5 AUD items were asked in both surveys and used to estimate changes from pre-pandemic drinking to drinking during the pandemic. Analyses focus on changes in these measures over time and comparisons between key subgroups defined by gender, race/ethnicity, and age. RESULTS: Key findings include particularly large increases in drinking and AUD for African Americans and women, reduced drinking and heavy drinking prevalence among men and White respondents, and a concentration of increased drinking and AUD among respondents aged 35 to 49. Increases in alcohol use were found to be driven particularly by increases in drinking frequency and the consumption of spirits. CONCLUSIONS: Results confirm prior findings of overall increases and subgroup-specific changes, and importantly, provide detailed information on the patterns of change across major socio-demographic subgroups. Substantial increases in the prevalence of DSM-5 moderate to severe AUDs are a novel finding that is of particular concern.

Effects of family history of alcohol problems on alcohol consumption: Stronger for medically underserved men.

Family history (FH), informed by genetics and family environment, can be used by practitioners for risk prediction. This study compares the associations of FH with alcohol outcomes for medically underserved (MUS) men and women with the associations for non-underserved individuals to assess the utility of FH as a screening tool for this high-priority group. Data were from 29,993 adult lifetime drinkers in the Wave 1 (2001-2002) and Wave 2 (2004-2005) National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. All variables except FH were measured at Wave 2. Dependent variables were 12-month alcohol consumption and alcohol use disorder (AUD). FH scores (FH-SCORE) measured the proportion of first- and second-degree biological relatives with alcohol problems. MUS status was defined by household income at or below 100% of the federal poverty line and participants reporting no usual source of health care. Multivariate linear and logistic regression models tested main and interaction effects. Models showed a significant interaction of FH-SCORE with MUS status (p < .01), with a stronger effect of FH on alcohol consumption for the MUS group. This moderating effect was weaker for women than for men (FH-SCORE x MUS x Sex three-way interaction: p < .01). AUD models showed a significant positive association with FH-SCORE (p < .001) but no association with MUS status and no significant interaction effects. In this sample of lifetime drinkers, FH was associated with higher alcohol consumption, especially for MUS men. These results encourage additional validation of FH scores to prioritize MUS adults at high risk for alcohol problems to receive preventive interventions.

Neighborhood Contexts and Alcohol Use Disorder Among Mexican Americans Living in the US-Mexico Border Region.

AIMS: This study assessed contributions of exposure to neighborhood stressors (violent victimization, witnessing crime, greater alcohol and drug availability) to variation in alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms among drinkers in three cities in Texas, USA. METHODS: We used data from interviews conducted from 2011 to 2013 with Mexican-origin adults (ages 16-65) in the US-Mexico Study of Alcohol and Related Conditions who were past-year drinkers (N = 1960; 55% male) living in two cities in the Texas-Mexico border region (Laredo, n = 751 and Brownsville/McAllen, n = 814) and one interior comparison site (San Antonio, n = 771). Analyses (conducted in 2018 and 2019) examined overall and gender-stratified multilevel mediated effects of each border site (versus San Antonio) on AUD symptoms through the neighborhood-level factors, adjusting for individual- and neighborhood-level covariates. RESULTS: Overall, drinkers in Laredo reported more AUD symptoms than drinkers in the other cities, and their neighborhoods had more witnessing of crime and greater perceived drug availability, as well as higher levels of disadvantage and a lower proportion non-Hispanic White residents, than neighborhoods in San Antonio. Witnessing neighborhood crime was associated with increased AUD symptoms, while neighborhood disadvantage and proportion non-Hispanic White residents each were negatively associated with AUD symptoms. Perceived neighborhood insecurity, crime victimization, perceived neighborhood drug availability and neighborhood alcohol availability (off- and on-premise) were not significantly associated with AUD symptoms. Stratified models suggested possible gender differences in indirect effects through witnessing neighborhood crime. CONCLUSION: Reducing witnessing of neighborhood crime may help reduce AUD symptoms among adults living in the US border region.

Age of onset and alcohol and cannabis use disorders among Mexican American young adults: Robust substance-specific effects of early use as a risk factor.

We investigated the substance-specific and cross-substance risk associated with early onset (before age 15) of drunkenness and cannabis use in the subsequent development of alcohol (AUD) and cannabis use disorder (CUD) in Mexican American young adults. Survival analyses employed Cox proportional hazards models for AUD and CUD, separately. In cross-risk analyses, we modeled estimates for those participants reporting lifetime use of both substances. Early onset of drunkenness and early onset of cannabis use were associated with shorter time to AUD and CUD, respectively, even after accounting for psychiatric disorders. While there were no cross-risk associations, adjusting for psychiatric disorders and early onset cannabis use attenuated the association of early drunkenness with AUD.

A gender-focused multilevel analysis of how country, regional and individual level factors relate to harm from others' drinking.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine how gender, age and education, regional prevalence of male and female risky drinking and country-level economic gender equality are associated with harms from other people's drinking. METHODS: 24,823 adults in ten countries were surveyed about harms from drinking by people they know and strangers. Country-level economic gender equality and regional prevalence of risky drinking along with age and gender were entered as independent variables into three-level random intercept models predicting alcohol-related harm. FINDINGS: At the individual level, younger respondents were consistently more likely to report harms from others' drinking, while, for women, higher education was associated with lower risk of harms from known drinkers but higher risk of harms from strangers. Regional rate of men's risky drinking was associated with known and stranger harm, while regional-level women's risky drinking was associated with harm from strangers. Gender equality was only associated with harms in models in models that did not include risky drinking. CONCLUSIONS: Youth and regional levels of men's drinking was consistently associated with harm from others attributable to alcohol. Policies that decrease the risky drinking of men would be likely to reduce harms attributable to the drinking of others.

Are Countries' Drink-Driving Policies Associated With Harms Involving Another Driver's Impairment?

INTRODUCTION: International drink-driving policy research generally focuses on aggregate outcomes (e.g., rates of crashes, fatalities) without emphasizing secondhand alcohol-related vehicular harms. In contrast, we investigate associations between drink-driving policies and harms involving another driver's impairment. METHODS: Alcohol's harms to others (AHTO) survey data from 12 countries (analytic N = 29,616) were linked to national alcohol policy data from the World Health Organization. We examined separately associations of two 12-month driving-related AHTOs (passenger with an impaired driver; vehicular crash involving someone else's drink driving) with 3 national drinking-driving policies-legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits, use of random breath testing, use of sobriety checkpoints, and comprehensive penalties for drink-driving (community service, detention, fines, ignition interlocks, license suspension/revocation, mandatory alcohol treatment, vehicle impoundment, and penalty point system), plus 2 alcohol tax variables (having excise taxes and value-added tax [VAT] rate). Multilevel logistic regression addressed clustering of individuals within countries and subnational regions, while adjusting for individuals' gender, age, marital status, risky drinking, and regional drinking culture (% male risky drinkers in sub-national region). RESULTS: Controlling for national-, regional-, and individual-level covariates, comprehensive penalties were significantly and negatively associated with both outcomes; other vehicular policy variables were not significantly associated with either outcome. A society's VAT rate was negatively associated with riding with a drunk driver. Regional male drinking culture was positively associated with riding with an impaired driver, but was not significantly associated with being in a vehicular crash due to someone else's drinking. In both models, being male, being younger, and engaging in risky drinking oneself each were positively associated with vehicular harms due to someone else's drinking. CONCLUSIONS: Although results are associational and not causal, comprehensive penalties may be promising policies for mitigating driving-related harms due to another drinker. Higher VAT rate might reduce riding with a drunk driver.

Drinking and Neighborhood Contexts of Alcohol's Harms from Others.

AIMS: Negative consequences of alcohol (or secondhand effects) extend beyond drinkers to affect other people, including both known others (friends, family members, spouses/partners) and strangers. Secondhand effects of alcohol manifest across various social environments, including the places where people drink and the neighborhoods where they live. These neighborhoods are characterized by different levels of alcohol availability and degrees of residential social cohesion. Hence, social environments may confer risk or protect from harms from others' drinking. The current study explores: (a) how drinking venues and neighborhood contexts relate to harms from other people's drinking (both known others and strangers), and (b) whether these associations vary by gender. METHODS: Using pooled data from the National Alcohol Survey and National Alcohol's Harms to Others Survey (N = 5425), we regressed harms from various drinking others on social environment characteristics (drinking venues, alcohol availability and social cohesion) for the full sample and separately by gender. We used the false discovery rate method to adjust for multiple testing. RESULTS: Overall, greater neighborhood social cohesion was associated with lower odds of harm from drinking others and, specifically, harm from drinking strangers. The effect of social cohesion was most pronounced for men. CONCLUSIONS: Social cohesion was the most salient neighborhood factor associated with reduced alcohol-related harms from strangers. Directions for future research and policies to mitigate these harms are discussed.

Intersections Of Neighborhood Co-Ethnic Density and Nativity Status On Heavy Drinking In a General Population Sample Of US Latinos and Asians.

AIMS: Greater neighborhood co-ethnic density (living in proximity with people sharing an ethnicity) and being foreign-born each can protect against risky drinking, but little is known about whether these two factors interact. Using a representative sample of Latinos and Asians from California, USA, we investigate main and interactive effects of neighborhood co-ethnic density and nativity status in relation to heavy episodic drinking (HED). METHODS: This study uses the California Health Interview Survey (N = 30,203) linked with neighborhood data to investigate associations of co-ethnic density and nativity status with HED. Co-ethnic density was based on matching each respondent's ethnicity to the proportion of residents of the corresponding group in their Census tract. Using weighted logistic regression, we first examined main effects of neighborhood co-ethnic density and respondent nativity status on HED. Next, we assessed the interaction of co-ethnic density and nativity status. Finally, we estimated nativity-stratified models to investigate variation in effects of co-ethnic density. RESULTS: Co-ethnic density was not associated with HED for the full sample, but US-born nativity status was associated with increased odds of past-year HED. The interaction model showed co-ethnic density and nativity had synergistic effects, whereby greater levels of neighborhood co-ethnic density buffered risk associated with being US-born. Further, greater neighborhood co-ethnic density was associated with reduced odds of HED for US-born respondents, but it was not associated with HED for foreign-born respondents. CONCLUSIONS: Protective effects of high neighborhood co-ethnic density on HED are stronger for US-born than for foreign-born Latinos and Asians in California.

State Alcohol Policies, Binge Drinking Prevalence, Socioeconomic Environments and Alcohol's Harms to Others: A Mediation Analysis.

AIMS: Alcohol policy effects on alcohol's harms due to others' drinking (AHTO) and contextual factors that may mediate such policy effects have been understudied. This study examines state binge drinking prevalence as a mediator of the relationship between state alcohol policy and socioeconomic environments and individual-level AHTO. METHODS: A nationally representative sample of US adults (N = 32,401; 13,873 males, 18,528 females) from the 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015 National Alcohol Surveys and the 2015 National Alcohol's Harm to Others Survey, administered in telephone interviews and based on random digit dialed sampling, were linked with state-level Alcohol Policy Scale (APS) scores, binge drinking prevalence and socioeconomic status (SES) data. Three 12-month AHTO measures were family/marriage difficulties, assault or vandalism and riding with drunk driver or having traffic accident. Three-level mediation analyses were conducted, controlling for gender, race, education, marital status, family problem-drinking history and state policing rate. RESULTS: The effects of the APS on reduced risks for assault/vandalism and drinking-driving harms were significantly mediated by reduced state binge drinking prevalence. The APS had no direct or indirect effect on family/marital trouble. State SES had significant indirect effects on increased risks for assault/vandalism and driving-related harm through increased state binge drinking prevalence and a direct effect on reduced family/marital problems. CONCLUSIONS: A more stringent alcohol policy environment could reduce assault/vandalism and driving-related harm due to another drinker by lowering state binge drinking rates. Alcohol policies may not be effective in reducing family problems caused by another drinker more prevalent in low-SES states.

Support for Alcohol Policies in Marginalized Populations.

AIM: Kingdon [(2014) Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies. Essex. United Kingdom: Pearson Education Limited] argues that windows of opportunity to pass policies emerge when problems, solutions and policy support co-occur. This study aims to identify a set of alcohol policies with the potential to reduce alcohol-related disparities given high levels of support from marginalized groups, such as racial/ethnic minorities and lower-income groups. METHODS: This study used data from five US National Alcohol Surveys, which were based on household probability samples of adults in 1995 (n = 4243), 2000 (n = 5736), 2005 (n = 1445), 2010 (n = 4164) and 2015 (n = 4041). We used multiple logistic regression to determine the odds of policy support by racial/ethnic group and income level, considering price, place and marketing policies as well as individual-level interventions. RESULTS: Overall a majority of Americans supported banning alcohol sales in corner stores (59.4%), banning alcohol advertisements on television (55.5%), and establishing universal health coverage for alcohol treatment (80.0%). Support was particularly high among Blacks, Hispanics/Latinos and lower-income persons. Multivariate models showed that compared with White people, foreign-born Hispanics/Latinos had the most robust levels of support, including raising alcohol taxes (aOR = 2.40, 95% CI: 2.00, 2.88, P < 0.0001), banning alcohol sales in corner stores (aOR = 2.85, 95% CI: 2.22, 3.65, P < 0.0001) and reducing retail sales hours (aOR = 2.91, 95% CI: 2.38, 3.55, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Of the policies examined, banning alcohol sales at corner stores is most likely to be in a "window of opportunity" for reducing alcohol-related disparities. By simultaneously reducing population-level consumption and harms from others' drinking, place-based policies have the potential to reduce harms experienced by marginalized groups.

Young men's behavioral competencies and risk of alcohol use disorder in emerging adulthood: Early protective effects of parental education.

We investigate how early exposure to parental externalizing behaviors (EB) may contribute to development of alcohol use disorders (AUD) in young adulthood, testing a developmental cascade model focused on competencies in three domains (academic, conduct, and work) in adolescence and emerging adulthood, and examining whether high parental education can buffer negative effects of parental EB and other early risk factors. We use data from 451,054 Swedish-born men included in the national conscript register. Structural equation models showed parental EB was associated with academic and behavioral problems during adolescence, as well as with lower resilience, more criminal behavior, and reduced social integration during emerging adulthood. These pathways led to elevated rates of AUD in emerging and young adulthood. Multiple groups analysis showed most of the indirect pathways from parental EB to AUD were present but buffered by higher parental education, suggesting early life experiences and competencies matter more for young men from lower socioeconomic status (SES) families than from higher SES families. Developmental competencies in school, conduct, and work are important precursors to the development of AUD by young adulthood that are predicted by parental EB. Occupational success may be an overlooked source of resilience for young men from low-SES families.

Interested constituents: identifying groups to mobilize in community organizing efforts to strengthen alcohol control policies.

Background: Policy support research identifies demographic profiles of those who support policies, but community organizers aim to mobilize groups with an existing structure. Thus, identifying established groups that support alcohol policies may aid organizing efforts.Objective: This paper calculates prevalence and odds of policy support among three potential constituency groups (i.e., religious affiliation, persons harmed by others' drinking, and persons in recovery from alcohol) for three policies: alcohol tax increases, banning alcohol in corner stores, and universal coverage for alcohol treatment.Methods: Using the 2014-15 National Alcohol Survey (n = 3,444; 1,457 male, 1,987 female) and logistic regression, this study explores associations between constituency groups and policy support.Results: Support was higher for the individual-level strategy of alcohol treatment (80.8%) than raising taxes (27.5%) and banning sales in corner stores (52.2%). Support for taxes was higher among persons who valued religion highly (vs not; aOR = 1.46, p < .01), persons harmed by others' drinking (vs not; aOR = 1.71, p < .001), and persons in recovery (vs. not; aOR = 1.76, p = .02); Catholics had lower odds of support for taxes (vs no denomination; aOR = 0.63, p = .01). Persons who valued religion highly (aOR = 1.53, p < .001), Protestants (aOR = 1.63, p < .01), Catholics (aOR = 1.46, p = .03), and persons with other religious denominations (aOR = 2.17, p = .02) had higher odds of supporting bans in corner stores. Only those in recovery showed greater support for treatment (aOR = 3.20, p < .001).Conclusion: Overall, support was lower for population-wide approaches, but results revealed constituency groups that supported these policies. These groups may be allies to organizers who seek to reduce population-level alcohol consumption and harms.

Harmful drinking, tobacco, and marijuana use in the 2000-2015 National Alcohol Surveys: Examining differential trends by sexual identity.

BACKGROUND: Population-based surveys document disparities in substance use among sexual minorities compared to heterosexuals, but few studies examine changes over time. This study compared changes in harmful drinking (including alcohol use disorders and high-intensity drinking), tobacco use, marijuana use, and simultaneous marijuana and alcohol co-use between heterosexual and sexual minority adults over a 15-year period. Methods: Gender-stratified logistic regression analyses using 4 waves of cross-sectional data from the National Alcohol Survey (2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015) were conducted to test overall trends over time and differences by sexual identity, as well as the interaction between survey year and sexual identity. Results: Among women, significant effects for sexual identity were present in all models, reflecting greater odds of use among sexual minorities across waves. Among men, significant effects for sexual identity were found for high-intensity drinking (reflecting less use among sexual minorities) as well as marijuana use and marijuana and alcohol co-use (reflecting more use among sexual minorities). For women and men, tobacco use generally decreased and both marijuana use and simultaneous marijuana and alcohol co-use increased during the study period. Although trends were largely driven by heterosexual respondents, only one instance of an interactive effect was found; reports of harmful drinking were generally stable over time among heterosexual women, but higher and more variable over time among sexual minority women. Conclusions: Findings highlight that differences in patterns of substance use by sexual identity persist and underscore the need for screening, prevention, and intervention, particularly for sexual minority women.

Exploring how Family and Neighborhood Stressors Influence Genetic Risk for Adolescent Conduct Problems and Alcohol Use.

Previous research suggests that genetic risk factors may predispose to conduct problems and alcohol use in adolescence. Whether genetic risk factors interact with social contexts has not been well characterized among African American adolescents. Data came from a subsample of the Genes, Environment, and Neighborhood Initiative study comprising 501 African American adolescents, including 151 lifetime drinkers (56% female, mean age = 16.3, SD = 1.4). Genetic risk was assessed with polygenic risk scores for alcohol dependence. Analyses explored interactions between genetic risk and self-reported alcohol use, conduct problems, life stressors, and other covariates. The effects of two gene-environment interactions (G × E) were tested in the sample of alcohol exposed adolescents; one on conduct problems and the other on alcohol use. There were significant associations between polygenic risk for alcohol dependence and conduct problems. A significant G × E interaction showed the impact of genetic risk on conduct problems was stronger under conditions of high exposure to family and neighborhood stressors. Among this sample of African American adolescents, genetic risk for alcohol dependence was not directly associated with alcohol use but was related to more conduct problems. Further, the effect of genetic risk interacted with stressors from the family and neighborhood, so that the effect of genetic risk on conduct problems was stronger for individuals who reported greater stressors.

Children's experience of physical harms and exposure to family violence from others' drinking in nine societies.

AIM: To study caregiver reports of children's experience of physical harm and exposure to family violence due to others' drinking in nine societies, assess the relationship of harm with household drinking pattern and evaluate whether gender and education of caregiver affect these relationships. METHOD: Using data on adult caregivers from the GENAHTO (Gender and Alcohol's Harm to Others) project, child alcohol-related injuries and exposure of children to alcohol-related violence (CAIV) rates are estimated by country and pooled using meta-analysis and stratified by gender of the caregiver. Households with and without heavy or harmful drinker(s) (HHD) are compared assessing the interaction of caregiver gender on the relationship between reporting HHD and CAIV, adjusting for caregiver education and age. Additionally, the relationship between caregiver education and CAIV is analysed with meta-regression. RESULTS: The prevalence of CAIV varied across societies, with an overall pooled mean of 4% reported by caregivers. HHD was a consistent correlate of CAIV in all countries. Men and women in the sample reported similar levels of CAIV overall, but the relationship between HHD and CAIV was greater for women than for men, especially if the HHD was the most harmful drinker. Education was not significantly associated with CAIV. CONCLUSION: One in 25 caregivers with children report physical or family violence harms to children because of others' drinking. The adjusted odds of harm are significantly greater (more than four-fold) in households with a heavy or harmful drinker, with men most likely to be defined as this drinker in the household.

Risks Associated with Mid level Cannabis Use Among People Treated for Alcohol Use Disorder.

BACKGROUND: The relationships between cannabis use frequency with alcohol use, alcohol-related harms, and persistent alcohol use disorder (AUD) in a general population subsample of individuals previously treated for AUD were examined. METHODS: Secondary analyses of the 2005, 2010, and 2015 U.S. National Alcohol Surveys, a nationwide general population sample of individuals ages 18+, were performed. The analytic subsample (N = 772) reported 3+ lifetime DSM-IV alcohol dependence criteria and prior AUD treatment. Primary exposure was past 12-month frequency of cannabis use (weekly or more, or "heavy;" more than monthly/less than weekly or "midlevel;" less than monthly or "light;" none). Primary outcomes were past 12-month total volume, average frequency of 5+ drinks/month, past 12-month alcohol-related harms, and past 12-month DSM-IV alcohol dependence. RESULTS: Multivariable negative binomial and logistic regressions showed that the only cannabis users who consistently differed significantly from cannabis abstainers were midlevel users; specifically, more than monthly/less than weekly cannabis users drank 2.83 times as many drinks (95% CI: 1.43, 5.60); had 2.83 as many 5+ occasions (95% CI: 1.38, 5.79); had 6.82 times the odds of experiencing any harms (95% CI: 2.29, 20.33); and had 6.53 times the odds of persistent AUD as cannabis abstainers (95% CI: 2.66, 16.02; all ps < 0.05). The relationship between midlevel cannabis use and harms remained significant after adjustment for volume and frequency of 5+ (OR = 6.18, 95% CI: 1.35, 28.37). CONCLUSIONS: Among those with lifetime AUD who have been to treatment, only more than monthly/less than weekly cannabis use is related to more alcohol-related harms and persistent AUD compared to cannabis abstinence. Heavier and lighter cannabis use is not related to worse alcohol outcomes compared to cannabis abstinence.