Self-regulatory failure and the perpetration of adolescent dating violence: Examining an alcohol use by gene explanation.

Studies report that alcohol use is related to partner violence, but for many, alcohol use does not culminate in violence against partners. Guided by a self-regulatory failure framework, we predicted that alcohol use would be more strongly associated with dating violence perpetration among adolescents with genotypes linked to impulsivity and emotional reactivity. The hypothesis was tested using random coefficient modeling of data from a multi-wave longitudinal study spanning grades 8-12 (ages 13-18) (n = 1,475). Analyses adjusted for multiple testing and race, and the potential for gene by environment correlation was examined. As predicted, alcohol use was more strongly associated with dating violence among adolescents who had a high rather than a low multilocus genetic profile composed of five genetic markers that influence dopamine signaling. Alcohol use was more strongly related to dating violence among boys with long rather than short 5-HTTLPR alleles, the opposite of the prediction. MAOA-uVNTR did not interact with alcohol, but it had a main effect on dating violence by boys in later grades in the expected direction: boys with more low activity alleles perpetrated more dating violence. Exploratory analyses found variation in findings by race. Our findings demonstrate the importance of incorporating genes into etiological studies of adolescent dating violence, which to date has not been done. Aggr. Behav. Aggr. Behav. 42:189-203, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.