PROJECT SUMMARY
The college years encompass a time of vulnerability for problematic alcohol use/alcohol use disorder (AUD)
and trauma exposure, which is a transdiagnostic risk factor for AUD, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and
comorbid AUD-PTSD. However, not all who experience a traumatic event develop these disorders, highlighting
the need to identify factors that impact post-trauma outcomes. Resilience has been shown to buffer the effects
of new onset trauma on alcohol use problems. To date, there are no existing studies longitudinally examining
the buffering effects of resilience on alcohol use outcomes in the face of new onset trauma in a college-aged
sample. Resilience is moderately heritable, but further research is needed to examine this heritability using
molecular approaches (i.e., genome-wide complex trait analysis; GCTA) and its genetic architecture through
identifying individual variants associated with resilience (i.e., genome-wide association studies; GWAS).
Resilience also demonstrates genetic overlap with internalizing and externalizing disorders, including AUD.
This overlap has not been examined using a molecularly informed design, warranting molecular genetic
investigation of the etiologic overlap between AUD and resilience. The proposed study aims to fill these voids
using a genetically informative longitudinal cohort study from a large urban university (NIAAA-R37 AA011408)
to achieve three primary aims: 1) investigate the buffering effect of resilience against new onset traumatic
events on alcohol use phenotypes; 2) examine the overall heritability of resilience (i.e., GCTA), as well as
identify individual variants (i.e., GWAS); and 3) examine the aggregate genetic overlap of resilience with
alcohol use phenotypes, PTSD, and other protective factors (e.g., subjective well-being), using aggregate risk
analyses (i.e., polygenic risk scores). Study findings will provide insight into the longitudinal buffering effect and
etiologic underpinnings of psychiatric resilience as well as the shared genetic risk between resilience, AUD,
and PTSD, which will greatly inform prevention and intervention efforts.
The present proposal seeks to meet four training goals, developed in collaboration with the mentorship
team: 1) develop expertise in the empirical study of trauma-related phenotypes (i.e., AUD); 2) develop
expertise in longitudinal statistical modeling of phenotypic data; 3) obtain advanced training in statistical
methods for analysis of molecular genetic data; 4) continue to build professional development skills that will
strengthen my background and support my development into a well-rounded academic researcher, as well as
enhance my ongoing clinical training. The proposed research and training aims align well with the National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s (NIAAA) mission, emphasizing clinically relevant, transdisciplinary
research. These research and training aims also align with the NIAAA Strategic Objective to “identify
behavioral and biological markers of alcohol use and alcohol-related conditions, develop and optimize methods
for assessing these markers, and establish precise estimates of alcohol use, misuse, and related conditions.”