Sex and age effects on the inheritance of alcohol problems: a twin study.
Male monozygotic cotwins of probands with Alcohol Abuse-Dependence (n = 85) were more likely than male same-sex dizygotic cotwins (n = 96) to report alcohol, drug, and conduct disorder problems. For women, rates of problem behavior did not differ between monozygotic (n = 44) and same-sex dizygotic (n = 43) cotwins. Opposite-sex dizygotic twin data (n = 88) revealed significant cross-sex transmission; alcohol problems were greatest among male cotwins of female probands. For men, proportion of liability variance associated with additive genetic factors was significantly greater when proband had an early (h2 = .73 +/- .18) rather than late (h2 = .30 +/- .26) age of onset. For women, heritability did not vary as a function of proband's age of onset, and the pooled estimate suggested little genetic influence (h2 = .00, SE not computable). Findings suggest that genetic influences may be substantial only in the etiology of early-onset male alcoholism.
McGue
M
M
University of Minnesota, Department of Psychology, Minneapolis 55455.
Pickens
R W
RW
Svikis
D S
DS
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004200:Diseases in Twins / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008910:Minnesota / Q000453:epidemiology; D008957:Models, Genetic; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D014429:Twins, Dizygotic / Q000235:genetics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic / Q000235:genetics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data