Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a growing public health issue which has caused global concern. Previous evidence has identified several genes significantly associated with alcohol-related traits. However, it remains unclear whether these associations are robust across different ethnic groups and whether they may be moderated by some specific social factors. The current study aimed to investigate the associations between candidate SNPs and AUD and to examine whether the associations could be moderated by socioeconomic status and social environment among a cohort of young Chinese males. A cross-sectional survey using convenient sampling was conducted in 2017 in four communities of Guangzhou, China. The current cohort consists of 320 male drinkers aged 18-31 years. Logistic regression was employed to explore the influence of candidate SNPs on AUD. And then, moderation regression model was constructed to investigate the potential moderation effects of multiple social factors measured by attitudes towards alcohol (ATA), personal income level, work-related stress, peer drinking behaviors, and childhood traumas. Of the ten candidate SNPs incorporated in the current study, four (ALDH2 rs671, COMT rs165774, OPRK1 rs6473797, and GABRA2 rs279858) were significantly associated with AUD. Moderation analyses revealed that the protective effect of the minor allele of ALDH2 rs671 was moderated by ATA; the effect of COMT rs165774 was moderated by personal income level; and childhood trauma moderated the association between OPRK1 rs6473797 and AUD. Additionally, COMT rs165774 moderated the relationship between work-related stress and AUD risk. This study closely aligned with previous research conducted in Chinese populations and highlighted the importance of considering both genetic and environmental factors in AUD research.