Polygenic and Polygene x Trauma Contributions to Alcohol Use and Problems Among Black Americans

To estimate polygenic and polygene x environment contributions to alcohol consumption and problems in the context of childhood maltreatment and lifetime trauma.

Main and interaction effects models predicting alcohol consumption and problems were estimated using multiple linear regression. Covariates included age, sex, education, employment status, and ancestral principal components.

USA.

A sample of 2,114 Black adults (75% female; M_age=39.88, SD=13.92) recruited from the Grady Trauma Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.

Polygenic scores (PGS) for trauma-related symptoms (re-experiencing: PGS_REEX, avoidance: PGS_AVOID, hyperarousal: PGS_HYPER, PTSD symptom score: PGS_PCL) and alcohol consumption (PGS_AUDIT-C) and use disorder (AUD; PGS_AUD) were derived using genome-wide association Million Veterans Program summary statistics with PRS-CS.

Childhood maltreatment and lifetime trauma (excluding childhood abuse) were positively associated with alcohol consumption (AUDIT-C) (β_{childhood-maltreatment}=0.17, SE=0.02; β_{lifetime-trauma}=0.28, SE=0.02) and alcohol problems (AUDIT-P) (β_{childhood-maltreatment}=0.25, SE=0.02; β_{lifetime-trauma}=0.27, SE=0.02). None of the PGSs were associated with AUDIT-C, but both the PGSs for re-experiencing (β=0.1, SE=0.03) and avoidance (β=0.08, SE=0.03) were positively associated with AUDIT-P. Experiencing lifetime trauma and being at elevated genetic risk for AUD (interaction-β_{Trauma_x_PGSAUD}=0.17, SE=0.05) and hyperarousal (interaction-β_{TraumaxPGSHYPER}=0.11, SE=0.06) were associated with higher AUDIT-P scores; while more lifetime trauma and higher genetic risk for AUD were associated with higher AUDIT-C scores (interaction-β_{Trauma_x_PGSAUD}=0.12, SE=0.05).

Individuals with elevated genetic risk for AUD are more likely to consume alcohol and to develop worse alcohol problems in the context of lifetime trauma. Interventions focused on also minimizing the effects of trauma-exposure would be particularly beneficial among individuals at risk for AUD.