Predicting change in the relationship between alcohol misuse and violence in young people
Lead Research Organisation:
CARDIFF UNIVERSITY
Department Name: School of Medicine
Abstract
o To which disease(s)/ condition(s), if any, is the research relevant?
o What is the research trying to achieve?
o Why is this important?
o Who is carrying out the research?
o How, briefly, is the research to be conducted (i.e. is it a clinical trial? Will it use human samples?)?
Violence is a major and growing problem in society. Half of all violent crimes in the UK are related to alcohol misuse, and the cost to the economy is estimated to be £7.3 billion per year. Although drinking alcohol may directly lead to violence in some people, it is also possible that there are underlying risk factors that predispose people to violent behaviour and to the development of alcohol misuse. These underlying risk factors may be environmental, for example maltreatment in childhood, or they may be genetic. It is possible that genetic and environmental factors interact to influence the development of both these problems. The aim of this study is to understand the development of alcohol misuse and violent behaviour, and the relationship between the two. It will involve studying information from two large studies that have followed individuals from childhood through to young adulthood. The research will be carried out by a psychiatrist at Cardiff University. Understanding the causes of alcohol misuse and violence may lead to the development of strategies to help reduce both problems and their social and economic consequences.
o What is the research trying to achieve?
o Why is this important?
o Who is carrying out the research?
o How, briefly, is the research to be conducted (i.e. is it a clinical trial? Will it use human samples?)?
Violence is a major and growing problem in society. Half of all violent crimes in the UK are related to alcohol misuse, and the cost to the economy is estimated to be £7.3 billion per year. Although drinking alcohol may directly lead to violence in some people, it is also possible that there are underlying risk factors that predispose people to violent behaviour and to the development of alcohol misuse. These underlying risk factors may be environmental, for example maltreatment in childhood, or they may be genetic. It is possible that genetic and environmental factors interact to influence the development of both these problems. The aim of this study is to understand the development of alcohol misuse and violent behaviour, and the relationship between the two. It will involve studying information from two large studies that have followed individuals from childhood through to young adulthood. The research will be carried out by a psychiatrist at Cardiff University. Understanding the causes of alcohol misuse and violence may lead to the development of strategies to help reduce both problems and their social and economic consequences.
Technical Summary
Background
Violence is a major and growing problem across the world. There is an association between alcohol misuse and violence, but the reason for this, and the longitudinal relationship between the two behaviours, is poorly understood. Violence and alcohol misuse may co-occur due to the presence of common underlying factors which are likely to be both genetic and environmental. Serotonergic dysfunction is implicated in both aggression and alcohol misuse, and a polymorphism in the gene encoding the serotonin transport protein (5-HTTLPR) has emerged as a good candidate to underpin the relationship between the two.
Aims of the Study
1. Elucidate the temporal relationship between alcohol misuse and violence, and study the factors that predict different trajectories of these behaviours.
2. Test the hypothesis that both violence and alcohol misuse are associated with variation in 5-HTTLPR locus.
3. Test the hypothesis that the effect of specific environmental factors on risk of alcohol misuse or violence varies according to the underlying 5-HTTLPR genotype.
Methodology
Data from two large longitudinal studies will be used for analysis. Firstly the Swedish Twin study of Child and Adolescent Development (TCHAD). This is a longitudinal study of 1480 twin-pairs assessed at 4 time-points from the age of 8 to 20, in which violence and alcohol use were measured. Secondly, the Addhealth study, a nationally representative study of 20000 individuals in USA aged 12-26, assessed at 3 time-points will be used. Measures of violence (including criminal convictions) and alcohol use are available. 5-HTTLPR has been genotyped in a subgroup of 2474 siblings. Numerous measures of childhood adversity and other potential environmental risk factors will be studied in both datasets.
The analysis will be conducted in 3 phases. In Phase 1 the temporal relationship between alcohol misuse and violence will be studied in the entire Addhealth sample. Longitudinal latent class analysis will be used to detect subgroups of individuals that have similar trajectories for alcohol misuse and/or violence. Phase 2 will comprise a longitudinal twin analysis in the TCHAD study to identify gene-environment interplay. In Phase 3 the relationship between 5-HTTLPR and alcohol and violence and the gene-environment interplay will be studied in the Addhealth sample.
Implications
Results will contribute to the fundamental understanding of the developmental pathways into alcohol misuse and violence, and may help inform the design of more effective interventions to reduce alcohol and violence and their associated social and fiscal impact.
Violence is a major and growing problem across the world. There is an association between alcohol misuse and violence, but the reason for this, and the longitudinal relationship between the two behaviours, is poorly understood. Violence and alcohol misuse may co-occur due to the presence of common underlying factors which are likely to be both genetic and environmental. Serotonergic dysfunction is implicated in both aggression and alcohol misuse, and a polymorphism in the gene encoding the serotonin transport protein (5-HTTLPR) has emerged as a good candidate to underpin the relationship between the two.
Aims of the Study
1. Elucidate the temporal relationship between alcohol misuse and violence, and study the factors that predict different trajectories of these behaviours.
2. Test the hypothesis that both violence and alcohol misuse are associated with variation in 5-HTTLPR locus.
3. Test the hypothesis that the effect of specific environmental factors on risk of alcohol misuse or violence varies according to the underlying 5-HTTLPR genotype.
Methodology
Data from two large longitudinal studies will be used for analysis. Firstly the Swedish Twin study of Child and Adolescent Development (TCHAD). This is a longitudinal study of 1480 twin-pairs assessed at 4 time-points from the age of 8 to 20, in which violence and alcohol use were measured. Secondly, the Addhealth study, a nationally representative study of 20000 individuals in USA aged 12-26, assessed at 3 time-points will be used. Measures of violence (including criminal convictions) and alcohol use are available. 5-HTTLPR has been genotyped in a subgroup of 2474 siblings. Numerous measures of childhood adversity and other potential environmental risk factors will be studied in both datasets.
The analysis will be conducted in 3 phases. In Phase 1 the temporal relationship between alcohol misuse and violence will be studied in the entire Addhealth sample. Longitudinal latent class analysis will be used to detect subgroups of individuals that have similar trajectories for alcohol misuse and/or violence. Phase 2 will comprise a longitudinal twin analysis in the TCHAD study to identify gene-environment interplay. In Phase 3 the relationship between 5-HTTLPR and alcohol and violence and the gene-environment interplay will be studied in the Addhealth sample.
Implications
Results will contribute to the fundamental understanding of the developmental pathways into alcohol misuse and violence, and may help inform the design of more effective interventions to reduce alcohol and violence and their associated social and fiscal impact.