The ANKK1 Gene and its Possible Influence on Alcohol Use: : The Role of Victimization and Parent-Child Relationship

Sammanfattning: Risky alcohol use increases the risk of certain crimes such as drunk driving, spousal abuse and fighting. Around 60% of an individual’s alcohol use is attributable to genetic influences, however little is known regarding the specific genes that are involved in increasing the risk of risky alcohol use. Recent theories posit that some genes are so called susceptibility genes, meaning that carriers of certain genes or alleles are more susceptible both to positive and negative environments. The aim of the present study was to examine main and interaction effects of a possible susceptibility gene (ANKK1, which in previous research has been found to be related to risky alcohol use), and victimization as a negative environmental factor and parent-child relationship as a positive factor. Data were drawn from the RESUME project, and in the present study, 1.800 participants were included (47% males; 53% females; mean age of 22.15 years). Results showed no statistically significant main or interaction effect for ANKK1, but a statistically significant main effect was found for victimization and parent-child relationship. In conclusion, future research should include a larger sample size and use participants diagnosed with alcohol dependency. In addition, the susceptibility properties of ANKKI needs to be further examined, as the results from the present study indicate that ANKK1 is not a susceptibility gene.