The Genomics of Opioid Addiction Longitudinal Study (GOALS): study design for a prospective evaluation of genetic and non-genetic factors for development of and recovery from opioid use disorder.

BACKGROUND: The opioid use disorder and overdose crisis in the United States affects public health as well as social and economic welfare. While several genetic and non-genetic risk factors for opioid use disorder have been identified, many of the genetic associations have not been independently replicated, and it is not well understood how these factors interact. This study is designed to evaluate relationships among these factors prospectively to develop future interventions to help prevent or treat opioid use disorder. METHODS: The Genomics of Opioid Addiction Longitudinal Study (GOALS) is a prospective observational study assessing the interplay of genetic and non-genetic by collecting comprehensive genetic and non-genetic information on 400 participants receiving medication for opioid use disorder. Participants will be assessed at four time points over 1 year. A saliva sample will be collected for large-scale genetic data analyses. Non-genetic assessments include validated surveys measuring addiction severity, depression, anxiety, and adverse childhood experiences, as well as treatment outcomes such as urine toxicology results, visit frequency, and number of pre and post-treatment overdoses extracted from electronic medical records. DISCUSSION: We will use these complex data to investigate the relative contributions of genetic and non-genetic risk factors to opioid use disorder and related treatment outcomes.

Dark and vulnerable personality trait correlates of dimensions of criminal behavior among adult offenders.

Given the high-level impact of crime, empirical work is needed to identify personality traits, or overarching factors of personality pathology, that may leave individuals more prone to engage in criminal behaviors. This study empirically tested the distinction between the dark personality and vulnerable dark personality spectra (Miller et al., 2010) in a large offender sample and aimed to test how these personality factors relate to criminal dimensions and individual types of crime. Self-report and public record data verified criminal behaviors for 493 (34.7% women) adult offenders, and features of the 2 personality spectra were assessed using the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version, Narcissistic Personality Inventory-16, Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale, and Personality Assessment Inventory: Borderline Scale. Factor analyses supported the distinction between dark and vulnerable dark personality spectra and 3 dimensions of crime (i.e., crimes against property and persons, and drug-related crimes). Findings broadly pointed to trait vulnerabilities within the dark spectra (e.g., callousness) as relevant for criminal versatility and violent crimes against persons (e.g., assault, murder), and impulsive/reactive tendencies within the dark spectra (vulnerable dark) appeared to be particularly important for impulsive property crimes (e.g., theft, robbery) and drug offenses. Results may lend themselves well to refining offender intervention techniques and warrant further examination of the extent to which dark personality spectra coalesce as expected or similarly predict high-impact behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record