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. 2010 Sep;29(5):471-6.
doi: 10.1037/a0020594.

5-HTTLPR status moderates the effect of early adolescent substance use on risky sexual behavior

Steven M Kogan  1 , Steven R H Beach, Robert A Philibert, Gene H Brody, Yi-Fu Chen, Man-Kit Lei
Affiliations

5-HTTLPR status moderates the effect of early adolescent substance use on risky sexual behavior

Steven M Kogan et al. Health Psychol. 2010 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: A longitudinal, prospective design was used to investigate a moderation effect in the association between early adolescent substance use and risky sexual behavior 2 years later. A genetic vulnerability factor, a variable nucleotide repeat polymorphism (VNTR) in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene SLC6A4, known as 5-HTTLPR, was hypothesized to moderate the link between substance use at age 14 and risky sexual behavior at age 16. This VNTR has been associated with risk-taking behavior.

Design: African American youths in rural Georgia (N = 185) provided 2 waves of data on their substance use and sexual behavior. Genetic data were obtained via saliva samples.

Main outcome measures: Substance use and sexual risk behavior were assessed using youth self-report items developed for this investigation.

Results: Multiple regression analyses indicated that the presence of 1 or 2 copies of the short allele of the VNTR interacted with substance use to predict sexual behavior. Substance use had little effect on sexual behavior for youths without the short allele; this effect was greatly increased for youths with the short allele.

Conclusion: Genetic vulnerability affected the implications of early onset substance use for later sexual behavior.

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Figure 1
Figure 1
5-HTTLPR status (presence vs. absence of a short allele) moderates the association between substance use and risky sexual behavior.
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