Peer drinking is typically a reliable predictor of college students’ alcohol use and can moderate genetic risk for alcohol use. A recent study aimed to add to current research and examine the influence of peer impact and genetic predisposition of alcohol use.
This study used data from a longitudinal study in which college students reported alcohol use as well as their perceptions of peer alcohol use during fall and spring semesters. This study predicted that higher perceptions of peer drinking, those with roommates who drank, and those who were surrounded by drinking in their residence halls would have higher levels of alcohol use. These associations were predicted to be stronger in those with genetic predisposition for alcohol use.
The results indicated that if a student used alcohol in the fall, perceived that their peers used alcohol, and their roommate reported alcohol use, they were more likely to use alcohol in spring semester. Residence hall alcohol use in the fall did not impact individual alcohol use in the spring. Genotyping of students’ DNA was used to create a polygenic score based on a recent genome-wide association study to predict predisposition of alcohol consumption. Higher polygenic scores were also linked to higher amounts of alcohol consumption in the spring.
Take Away: Both peer and genetic influences can impact college student alcohol use. Perceptions of more peer drinking, higher levels of roommate drinking, and higher polygenic scores were linked to higher levels of alcohol consumption.
Smith, R.L., Salvatore, J.E., Aliev, F., Neale, Z., Barr, P., et al. (2019). Genes, Roommates, and Residences Halls: A Multidimensional Study of the Role of Peer Drinking on College Students’ Alcohol Use. Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research. doi.org/10.111/acer.14037.