Biomedical subjects
R Viken
Publications and source records attributed to R Viken.
Heterogeneity in the families of sons of alcoholics: the impact of familial vulnerability type on offspring characteristics.
In 2 samples of sons of alcoholics (family history positive for alcoholism; FHP: N = 74 & N = 72), cluster analyses identified 3 subtypes of familial vulnerability: 1 with low levels of familial psychopathology (FHP-LP) and moderate levels of familial alcoholism; a 2nd with high levels of familial antisocial personality (FHP-ASP), violence, and alcoholism; and a 3rd with high levels of familial depression (FHP-DEP), mania, anxiety disorder, and alcoholism. Compared with family history negative (FHN) participants (N = 106), FHP offspring had higher levels of alcohol problems. FHP-ASP offspring had elevated levels of antisocial traits and negative affect. Compared with FHN participants, FHP-DEP offspring elevated levels of antisocial traits, hypomania, and experience seeking. FHP-LP offspring had moderate levels of antisocial traits.
Likelihood-based analyses of longitudinal twin and family data: experiences with pedigree-based approaches.
Substantial progress has been made recently in analyses of longitudinal twin and family data, principally for two reasons. The first is the continuing development of more refined models for describing longitudinal data; the second is the widespread availability of analytic methods (e.g. LISREL) with which to implement these models. Computational restrictions have limited likelihood-based analyses of longitudinal genetic data to analyses of covariance matrices or mean squares; however, advances in computer technology now make it feasible to conduct likelihood analyses of longitudinal pedigree data. We consider potential advantages of using pedigree-based methods. Our initial experiences with the application of these methods to simulated twin data, using the FISHER (Lange, K.L., et al., Genet. Epidemiol. 5:471, 1988) quantitative genetics package, are discussed, with particular attention to practical details such as running times on several computers. Preliminary results of the pedigree-based analyses, including robust estimation methods, convincingly demonstrate the failure of methods assuming the multivariate normal distribution for simulated twin data provided by Carey (this issue).
Consistency and change in patterns of social drinking: a 6-year follow-up of the Finnish Twin Cohort.
In 1975 and again in 1981, all adult twins in the population-based Finnish Twin Cohort were administered postal questionnaires yielding data on self-reported frequency and quantity of alcohol use. The longitudinal results provide information on the age-to-age stability of social drinking patterns among 13,404 (twin) individuals aged 18 to 43 at baseline; model-fitting the cross-temporal consistency of the twins' reported alcohol use yields unique estimates of the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to their individual age-to-age stabilities. Mean consumption levels did not change between 1975 and 1981. Patterns of social drinking were more stable in older (aged 24-43 at baseline) than younger (aged 18-23 at baseline) adult twins, and were more stable among men than women. Heritabilities were significant at both baseline and follow-up for all three alcohol measures in both genders and both age groups, with a median magnitude of 0.48. Both longitudinal genetic and environmental covariances were significant, and both were generally higher among older pairs. Genetic covariances (median magnitude = 0.68) were significantly higher than environmental covariances (median = 0.36). Analyses of absolute changes in alcohol use revealed heritable influences on the disposition to change. We conclude that genes contribute to both consistency and change in patterns of alcohol use from early to midadulthood.
Social contact and sibling similarity: facts, issues, and red herrings.
We consider evidence that shared experience is associated with sibling resemblance and report new analyses of our earlier data to assess the magnitude and meaning of that association. We cite recent Swedish studies of early separated twins and present new data from reared-apart twins in Finland. Results of these analyses confirm our earlier conclusion that, for some dimensions of personality and life-style, twins who cohabit longer into adulthood and twins who retain closer contact after separation are more alike. Further, new analyses here reported are consistent with our earlier inference that, for neuroticism and consumption of alcohol, cotwin differences in contact precede, and causally contribute to, differences in behavioral similarity.
Student clinic for migrant laborers.
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