Mood‐Related Drinking Motives Mediate the Familial Association Between Major Depression and Alcohol Dependence

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Abstract
Background: Major depression and alcohol dependence co‐occur within individuals and families to a higher than expected degree. This study investigated whether mood‐related drinking motives mediate the association between major depression and alcohol dependence, and what the genetic and environmental bases are for this relationship. Methods: The sample included 5,181 individuals from the Virginia Adult Twin Study of Psychiatric and Substance Use Disorders, aged 30 and older. Participants completed a clinical interview which assessed lifetime major depression, alcohol dependence, and mood‐related drinking motives. Results: Mood‐related drinking motives significantly explained the depression‐alcohol dependence relationship at both the phenotypic and familial levels. Results from twin analyses indicated that for both males and females, the familial factors underlying mood‐related drinking motives accounted for virtually all of the familial variance that overlaps between depression and alcohol dependence. Conclusions: The results are consistent with an indirect role for mood‐related drinking motives in the etiology of depression and alcohol dependence, and suggest that mood‐related drinking motives may be a useful index of vulnerability for these conditions.

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