Understanding the development of substance use problems is a vital health concern because of individual health and nationwide economic costs of dealing with substance use related injury, illness, death, crime, law enforcement, and lost productivity1. The research described in this application is designed to examine mechanisms of development of adolescent substance use, with the aim of identifying targets for prevention of substance use. Pathways by which genes, hormones, and family environments operate for the development of substance use are not fully understood, in part because studies have not considered each of these influences together in the same conceptual model. The central hypothesis driving my program of research is that parental negativity is a mechanism modifying the influence of genetic, hormonal, and behavioral risk for substance use problems during adolescence. Specifically, the proposed research will clarify (aim 1) whether the association between parental negativity and adolescent substance use arises because parents respond to adolescents'genetically influenced substance use in such a way that increases parental negativity, or if substance use arises because parents pass on genes and negative parenting, both influencing substance use, or through direct environmental influences. This research will also show (aim 2) whether parental negativity moderates the association between hormone reactivity and risk for substance use (externalizing psychopathology). Together, these studies combined with my previous research will clarify how parenting, hormone, and genetic risk are related in the development of substance use, and examine how parent-child relationships can modify biological influences on risk for substance use problems. Through findings in the research aims, I will refine a conceptual model considering the transactional, developmental nature of genetic, hormone, and family environmental influences on adolescent substance use. The product of this grant will be three manuscripts: two presenting findings from each research aim, and one presenting the refined conceptual model and supporting evidence. My career goal is to conduct interdisciplinary research with the aim to understand the development of substance use. This dissertation research is a first step toward my career goal. To better prepare myself for my career conducting longitudinal research that addresses gene-environment interplay and hormone functioning in the family context for the development of substance use, I am seeking additional training to 1) further develop skills at conceptualizing and understanding substance use as a phenotype, 2) strengthen my understanding of the role of behavioral endocrinology on risk for substance use during adolescence, and 3) fully integrate family environmental influences with genetic and hormone influences in the transactional developmental model of the development of adolescent substance use. Training in substance use, behavioral endocrinology, family processes, and research ethics are integral to completing the research aims, and preparing me for a career in which I am a NIH funded researcher investigating the development of adolescent substance use.

Public Health Relevance

Adolescent substance use is a pervasive public health problem with lasting implications for later, costly substance use problems. This research aims to disentangle genetic, hormone, and family environmental influences on adolescent substance use with the goal of clarifying prevention and intervention targets.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F31)
Project #
5F31DA033737-02
Application #
8456313
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-F16-B (20))
Program Officer
Sirocco, Karen
Project Start
2012-04-01
Project End
2013-08-09
Budget Start
2013-04-01
Budget End
2013-08-09
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2013
Total Cost
$11,401
Indirect Cost
Name
Pennsylvania State University
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
003403953
City
University Park
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
16802
Marceau, Kristine; Knopik, Valerie S; Neiderhiser, Jenae M et al. (2016) Adolescent age moderates genetic and environmental influences on parent-adolescent positivity and negativity: Implications for genotype-environment correlation. Dev Psychopathol 28:149-66
Brooker, R J; Alto, K M; Marceau, K et al. (2016) Early inherited risk for anxiety moderates the association between fathers' child-centered parenting and early social inhibition. J Dev Orig Health Dis 7:602-615
Marceau, Kristine; Ruttle, Paula L; Shirtcliff, Elizabeth A et al. (2015) Within-person coupling of changes in cortisol, testosterone, and DHEA across the day in adolescents. Dev Psychobiol 57:654-69
Horwitz, Briana N; Marceau, Kristine; Narusyte, Jurgita et al. (2015) Parental criticism is an environmental influence on adolescent somatic symptoms. J Fam Psychol 29:283-9
Marceau, Kristine; Ruttle, Paula L; Shirtcliff, Elizabeth A et al. (2015) Developmental and contextual considerations for adrenal and gonadal hormone functioning during adolescence: Implications for adolescent mental health. Dev Psychobiol 57:742-68
Marceau, Kristine; Ram, Nilam; Susman, Elizabeth (2015) Development and Lability in the Parent-Child Relationship During Adolescence: Associations With Pubertal Timing and Tempo. J Res Adolesc 25:474-489
Marceau, Kristine; Laurent, Heidemarie K; Neiderhiser, Jenae M et al. (2015) Combined Influences of Genes, Prenatal Environment, Cortisol, and Parenting on the Development of Children's Internalizing Versus Externalizing Problems. Behav Genet 45:268-82
Marceau, Kristine; Shirtcliff, Elizabeth A; Hastings, Paul D et al. (2014) Within-adolescent coupled changes in cortisol with DHEA and testosterone in response to three stressors during adolescence. Psychoneuroendocrinology 41:33-45
Neiderhiser, Jenae M; Marceau, Kristine; Reiss, David (2013) Four factors for the initiation of substance use by young adulthood: a 10-year follow-up twin and sibling study of marital conflict, monitoring, siblings, and peers. Dev Psychopathol 25:133-49
Marceau, Kristine; Horwitz, Briana N; Narusyte, Jurgita et al. (2013) Gene-environment correlation underlying the association between parental negativity and adolescent externalizing problems. Child Dev 84:2031-46

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