title: Dopamine receptor gene d4 polymorphisms and early sexual onset: gender and environmental moderation in a sample of african-american youth.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Early sexual onset and its consequences disproportionately affect African-American youth, particularly male youth. The dopamine receptor D4 gene (DRD4) has been linked to sexual activity and other forms of appetitive behavior, particularly for male youth and in combination with environmental factors (gene × environment [G × E] effects). The differential susceptibility perspective suggests that DRD4 may exert this effect by amplifying the effects of both positive and negative environments. We hypothesized that DRD4 status would amplify the influence of both positive and negative neighborhood environments on early sexual onset among male, but not female, African-Americans.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hypotheses were tested with self-report, biospecimen, and census data from five prospective studies of male and female African-American youth in rural Georgia communities, N = 1,677. Early sexual onset was defined as intercourse before age 14.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant G × E findings emerged for female youth. Male youth with a DRD4 long allele were more likely than those with two DRD4 short alleles to report early sexual onset in negative community environments and not to report early onset in positive community environments.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dopaminergic regulation of adolescent sexual behaviors may operate differently by gender. DRD4 operated as an environmental amplification rather than a vulnerability factor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Science, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia. Electronic address: smkogan@uga.edu.
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kogan
authors.affiliation: Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
authors.forename: Man-Kit
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.affiliation: Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
authors.forename: Steven R H
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Beach
authors.affiliation: Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
authors.forename: Gene H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Brody
authors.affiliation: Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Windle
authors.affiliation: Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
authors.forename: Sunbok
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: MacKillop
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, National Taipei University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yi-Fu
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American / Q000235:genetics*; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D059647:Gene-Environment Interaction; D005838:Genotype; D005845:Georgia; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011446:Prospective Studies; D050638:Receptors, Dopamine D4 / Q000235:genetics*; D012424:Rural Population; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D050638:Receptors, Dopamine D4
keywords: Adolescent behavior; Databases as topic; Gene–environment interaction; Minority groups; Receptors, Dopamine D4; Sexual behavior
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