Abstract
Aggression encompasses angry, hostile, and violent behaviors towards others and is a significant risk factor for problematic substance use such as alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and other drugs. Aggression typically emerges in early childhood and decreases into adolescence when it again increases and then declines across adulthood. However, for some individuals, aggression is elevated across the life course. Elevated aggression can lead to antisocial and delinquent behavior as well as engaging in risky social contexts, which collectively increase risk for problematic substance use in adolescence and adulthood. Aggression can emerge, in part, due to an individual’s underlying genetic predisposition. Although there are unique genetic influences specific to aggression, there is largely a shared genetic etiology underlying aggression, disinhibition, antisociality/delinquency, and substance use. Thus, genetic predisposition for aggression can contribute to aggression but also a range of related behaviors, including substance use. Genetic predisposition for aggression can also indirectly increase risk for substance use over time by negatively affecting social interactions. In childhood and early adolescence, genetic predisposition for aggression can contribute to negative interactions with parents and peers, increasing risk for substance use in adolescence and early adulthood. This chapter provides an overview of the genetic basis for aggression and how it can contribute to the developmental emergence of substance use.
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Abbreviations
- GWAS:
-
Genome-wide association study
- GxE:
-
Gene-environment interaction
- GxI:
-
Gene-intervention interaction
- PGS:
-
Polygenic score
- rGE:
-
Gene-environment correlation
- SNP:
-
Single nucleotide polymorphism
- SUD:
-
Substance use disorder
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Elam, K.K., Kutzner, J., Bettinger, S., Qin, W., Summit, A.G. (2022). Polygenic Risk for Aggression and Developmental Links with Substance Use via Gene-Environment Interplay. In: Martin, C., Preedy, V.R., Patel, V.B. (eds) Handbook of Anger, Aggression, and Violence. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-98711-4_85-1
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