Asian Americans, as a whole, have lower rates of alcohol use and alcohol use disorders than other ethnic groups in the United States. Studies conducted in Asia, however, indicate that Koreans have a significantly higher lifetime prevalence of alcohol abuse and dependence than Chinese. There are also data to indicate that these two Asian American subgroups vary greatly with respect to patterns, prevalence and consequences of alcohol use. The overall objective of the proposed research project is to determine variables associated with alcohol involvement (alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems) in 21-25 year old Chinese American and Korean American college students using a risk and protective factor approach. The risk and protective factor dimensions that will be evaluated will focus on factors related to alcohol use and alcohol-related problems in previous studies of Asians and other ethnic groups, including variation in three genes involved in alcohol metabolism (ALDH2, ADH2, and ADH3), other genetically influenced factors (e.g., family history of alcoholism), and psychosocial variables. It is hypothesized that Korean Americans will have fewer protective factors and more risk factors than Chinese Americans. In a subsample of participants, an alcohol and placebo challenge paradigm will be conducted to measure level of response to alcohol in Korean Americans with and without an alcoholic father. It is hypothesized that those with an alcoholic father will demonstrate less intense reactions to alcohol than matched controls without a family history of alcoholism. Additionally, this study proposes to explore, within the sample, potential mediating and moderating relationships between vulnerability factors and alcohol involvement. The study of two Asian American subgroups with significantly different patterns of alcohol consumption and alcoholism offers a unique opportunity to control the influence of some specific genetic factors (variation in the alcohol metabolism genes) while searching for additional influences on alcohol use behavior and how these factors may relate to promote or protect against alcohol problems. Ultimately, a better understanding of the factors associated with alcohol behavior in Asian Americans will contribute important information for understanding the causes of alcohol abuse and dependence and might aid in the development of efficacious and culturally sensitive prevention and intervention programs.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01AA011257-10
Application #
6911704
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-SNEM-2 (01))
Program Officer
Witt, Ellen
Project Start
1996-03-01
Project End
2008-06-30
Budget Start
2005-07-01
Budget End
2008-06-30
Support Year
10
Fiscal Year
2005
Total Cost
$410,076
Indirect Cost
Name
Veterans Medical Research Fdn/San Diego
Department
Type
DUNS #
933863508
City
San Diego
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
92161
Luk, Jeremy W; Liang, Tiebing; Wall, Tamara L (2017) Gene-by-Environment Interactions on Alcohol Use Among Asian American College Freshmen. J Stud Alcohol Drugs 78:531-539
Luczak, Susan E; Liang, Tiebing; Wall, Tamara L (2017) Age of Drinking Initiation as a Risk Factor for Alcohol Use Disorder Symptoms is Moderated by ALDH2*2 and Ethnicity. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 41:1738-1744
Luczak, Susan E; Wall, Tamara L (2016) Gambling problems and comorbidity with alcohol use disorders in Chinese-, Korean-, and White-American college students. Am J Addict 25:195-202
Qiu, Bin; Luczak, Susan E; Wall, Tamara L et al. (2016) The FKBP5 Gene Affects Alcohol Drinking in Knockout Mice and Is Implicated in Alcohol Drinking in Humans. Int J Mol Sci 17:
Luczak, Susan E; Rosen, I Gary; Wall, Tamara L (2015) Development of a real-time repeated-measures assessment protocol to capture change over the course of a drinking episode. Alcohol Alcohol 50:180-7
Luczak, Susan E; Yarnell, Lisa M; Prescott, Carol A et al. (2014) Effects of ALDH2?2 on alcohol problem trajectories of Asian American college students. J Abnorm Psychol 123:130-40
Chartier, Karen G; Scott, Denise M; Wall, Tamara L et al. (2014) Framing ethnic variations in alcohol outcomes from biological pathways to neighborhood context. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 38:611-8
Otto, Jacqueline M; Hendershot, Christian S; Collins, Susan E et al. (2013) Association of the ALDH1A1*2 promoter polymorphism with alcohol phenotypes in young adults with or without ALDH2*2. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 37:164-9
Luczak, Susan E; Pandika, Danielle; Shea, Shoshana H et al. (2011) ALDH2 and ADH1B interactions in retrospective reports of low-dose reactions and initial sensitivity to alcohol in Asian American college students. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 35:1238-45
Duranceaux, Nicole C E; Schuckit, Marc A; Luczak, Susan E et al. (2008) Ethnic differences in level of response to alcohol between Chinese Americans and Korean Americans. J Stud Alcohol Drugs 69:227-34

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