Genetic and environmental predictors of alcohol use disorder in Sweden

We propose five specific aims, where we will examine: 1) familial aggregation of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and co-aggregation with key externalizing and internalizing disorders; 2) the role of familial-genetic and environmental risk factors for AUD, and their interaction; 3) the spatial distribution of AUD and its spatial relationship with social deprivation and genetic risk, utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) methods; 4) the efficacy of a range of interventions to reduce incidence or recurrence rates of AUD using the agent-based simulation program FRED (A Framework for Reconstructing Epidemiological Dynamics); and 5) the correlates and consequences of AUD in marriages, with a particular focus on the impact of a spouse’s AUD on their partner’s psychiatric health, social genetic effects, and the associations between AUD and divorce later in life (gray divorce).

Our aims utilize the wide range of data available from multiple nationwide data sources in Sweden. These data are of unparalleled completeness and depth and include a Swedish primary care database created by our team.

Applying the expertise of our multisite research team at Lund University and VCU, Virginia, that spans social and genetic epidemiology, GIS methods, and causal modeling, we will during 2025-28 be able to improve risk assessment, offer insight for promising prevention/intervention targets for AUD and its consequences and potentially impact treatment and policy.