%0 Journal Article %J Drug Alcohol Depend %D 2013 %T Alcohol and tobacco use disorder comorbidity in young adults and the influence of romantic partner environments. %A Meacham, Meredith C %A Bailey, Jennifer A %A Hill, Karl G %A Epstein, Marina %A Hawkins, J D %K Adolescent %K Adult %K Alcoholism %K Comorbidity %K Conflict (Psychology) %K Depression %K Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders %K Ethnic Groups %K Female %K Humans %K Male %K Regression Analysis %K Sex Factors %K Sexual Partners %K Social Environment %K Socioeconomic Factors %K Tobacco Use %K Treatment Outcome %K Young Adult %X

BACKGROUND: Although there is considerable evidence that the development of tobacco dependence (TD) and that of alcohol use disorder (AUD) are intertwined, less is known about the comorbid development of these disorders. The present study examines tobacco dependence and alcohol use disorder comorbidity in young adulthood within the context of romantic partner relationships.

METHODS: Data were drawn from the Seattle Social Development Project, a contemporary, ethnically diverse, and gender balanced longitudinal panel including 808 participants. A typological person-centered approach was used to assign participants to four outcome groups: no disorder, tobacco dependence (TD) only, alcohol use disorder (AUD) only, and comorbid (both). Multinomial logistic regression was used to determine the association between partner general and substance-specific environments and single or dual alcohol and tobacco use disorder diagnosis in young adulthood (ages 24-33, n=628). Previous heavy alcohol and tobacco use were controlled for, as were dispositional characteristics, gender, ethnicity, adult SES, and adult depression.

RESULTS: Greater partner conflict increased the likelihood of being comorbid compared to having TD only or AUD only. Having a smoking partner increased the likelihood of being comorbid compared to having AUD only, but having a drinking partner did not significantly distinguish being comorbid from having TD only.

CONCLUSIONS: Findings demonstrated the utility of a comorbidity-based, person-centered approach and the influence of general and tobacco-specific, but not alcohol-specific, partner environments on comorbid alcohol and tobacco use disorders in young adulthood.

%B Drug Alcohol Depend %V 132 %P 149-57 %8 2013 Sep 1 %G eng %N 1-2 %R 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2013.01.017 %0 Journal Article %J Drug Alcohol Depend %D 2011 %T Strategies for characterizing complex phenotypes and environments: General and specific family environmental predictors of young adult tobacco dependence, alcohol use disorder, and co-occurring problems. %A Bailey, Jennifer A %A Hill, Karl G %A Meacham, Meredith C %A Young, Susan E %A Hawkins, J D %K Adolescent %K Alcohol Drinking %K Alcoholism %K Child %K Family %K Female %K HIV Infections %K Humans %K Longitudinal Studies %K Male %K Risk Factors %K Risk-Taking %K Sexual Behavior %K Smoking %K Social Environment %K Tobacco Use Disorder %K Young Adult %X

BACKGROUND: Defining phenotypes in studies of tobacco and alcohol misuse is difficult because of the complexity of these behaviors and their strong association with each other and with other problem behaviors. The present paper suggests a strategy for addressing this issue by conceptualizing and partitioning variance in phenotypes into either general or substance/behavior-specific. The paper also applies the general or substance/behavior-specific conceptualization to environmental predictors of tobacco and alcohol misuse and other problem behaviors.

METHODS: Data were drawn from the Seattle Social Development Project, a contemporary, ethnically diverse and gender-balanced longitudinal panel including 808 participants. Latent variable modeling was used to partition variance in young adult (age 24) nicotine dependence, alcohol abuse and dependence, illicit drug abuse and dependence, involvement in crime, and engagement in HIV sexual risk behavior into general problem behavior and behavior-specific variance. Similarly, measures of general, drinking-specific, and smoking-specific adolescent family environment were constructed.

RESULTS: Consistent with expectations, more positive general family environment during adolescence was associated with lower levels of shared variance in problem behaviors at age 24, but not with unique variance in tobacco or alcohol use disorder. Higher levels of family smoking and drinking environments during adolescence, however, were positively associated with unique variance in tobacco and alcohol use disorder, respectively, but did not predict shared variance in problem behaviors.

CONCLUSIONS: Results support the utility of the proposed approach. Ways in which this approach might contribute to future molecular genetic studies are discussed.

%B Drug Alcohol Depend %V 118 %P 444-51 %8 2011 Nov 1 %G eng %N 2-3 %R 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2011.05.002