Abstract
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.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 3-17 |
Number of pages | 15 |
Journal | Journal of Abnormal Psychology |
Volume | 101 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 1992 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Biological Psychiatry