Project Title

Persistence and change in drinking habits: a twin-family study.

Investigators

Professor Nick Martin (QIMR), Professor Andrew Heath (Department of Psychiatry, Washington University, St Louis, USA), Dr. J.B. Whitfield (Biochemistry, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney).

Project Aims

To examine the role of genetic and social factors, and their covariation and interaction, in the development and natural history of patterns of alcohol use, and of alcohol abuse and dependence and comorbid psychopathology, with a particular focus on alcohol problems and alcohol use in women.

Phenotypic data for the above analyses is collected by a semi-structured interview, administered by telephone (see Procedures).

Participants

Male and female twin pairs from a cohort born 1964-1971, where at least one twin completed a mailed questionnaire on drinking habits and drinking problems in 1989.