A Rutgers-led analysis of nearly 12,000 youth uncovers how genetics, personality and environment influence the onset and progression of adolescent alcohol use
The risk for teenage alcohol use is shaped by more than just peer pressure or curiosity, according to a Rutgers-led study.
The study, published in Translational Psychiatry, draws on data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, a landmark NIH-funded project and the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States. The study began following nearly 12,000 youth at age 9 and will continue through age 18, tracking mental health, cognitive development and substance use across adolescence. The study examines how genetic predispositions, brain structure and function, personality traits and environmental conditions contribute when adolescents take their first sip of alcohol, when they have their first full drink and how quickly they progress from one to the other.
Once they have their first sip, individual factors like genetic predisposition and sensation seeking personality features seem to be the driving whether they progress to additional milestones.
Sarah Brislin
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and a member of the Rutgers Addiction Research Center
Alcohol use during adolescence is associated with a heightened risk for long-term mental health challenges, substance use disorders and cognitive impairments. Understanding the drivers of early initiation is crucial for developing effective prevention efforts-particularly for those most at risk.
"We found that risk for early alcohol use was not just related to key environmental factors like parental substance use but was also associated with individual characteristics like genetics and impulsive personality," said Sarah Brislin, assistant professor of psychiatry at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, a member of the Rutgers Addiction Research Center and the senior author of the study. "No one type of information provided the whole picture."
Researchers found that genetic risk for behavioral disinhibition (a tendency toward impulsive behavior and difficulty with self-control, often linked to conditions like ADHD and substance use disorders), impulsive personality traits and prenatal exposure to drugs and alcohol were critical predictors of early sipping. However, the transition from a first sip to a full drink was driven more by individual characteristics - especially sensation-seeking and genetic predispositions - than by an environmental context.
"Environment, particularly home environment, plays a key role in when kids have their first exposure to alcohol; however, once they have their first sip, individual factors like genetic predisposition and sensation seeking personality features seem to be the driving whether they progress to additional milestones," Brislin said.
The study used polygenic risk scores, structural and functional neuroimaging data, psychological assessments and environmental data to assess three critical milestones in early alcohol use:
- Age at first sip
- Age at first full drink
- Speed of progression between the two
The researchers applied advanced statistical models to determine which risk factors were uniquely predictive of each milestone.
According to Brislin, this is one of the first studies to simultaneously examine the unique contributions of genetic, neural, psychological and environmental risk factors in early alcohol use. Notably, genetic risk factors - particularly those related to behavioral disinhibition - remained predictive even when other variables were accounted for, underscoring the promise of integrating genetic and behavioral screening in prevention science.
Brislin said the findings can inform early interventions that target high-risk youth before alcohol use begins. Programs that address impulsivity, strengthen school engagement and promote positive parenting may be especially beneficial.
The study was co-authored by Rutgers researchers Danielle Dick, Maia Choi, Fazil Aliev, Peter Barr, Megan Cooke, Sally I. Kuo and Jessica E. Salvatore.
