Siblings, Sweethearts, Scotch: Controlling for Heritability in the Association between Marital Quality and Alcohol Problems

• In Event: Environmental and Genetic Influences on Substance Use

Abstract

Studies have consistently shown that marriage, by way of changes in activity and attitudes, is associated with decreases in alcohol use and problems (Temple et al., 1991; Young-Wolff et al., 2011). Dick et al. (2006) found evidence that the association between marital status/stability and alcohol dependence is moderated by genetic factors. Ignoring genetic factors such as these can result in bias (Barnes et al., 2014), thus it is possible that the association between marriage and alcohol use is spurious. Despite this, few studies have controlled for the genetic effect in the context of the association between marriage and alcohol use. One exception uses biological siblings to control for heritability via separate estimations of the within- and between-family effect of marital status on alcohol consumption (Kretsch & Harden, 2014). This study analyzes data from sibling dyads participating in MIDUS, a national longitudinal study of health and well-being. Kenny, Kashy, & Cook’s (2006) Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) is used to determine if the association between marital quality and alcohol problems remain after controlling for heritability.

Author

• Thomas Bryan Smith, University of Florida