Contagious Transmission in a Swedish National Sample of Alcohol Use Disorders as a Function of Geographical Proximity Among Siblings and Propinquity-of-Rearing Defined Acquaintances

• Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether alcohol use disorder (AUD) can be transmitted contagiously in siblings and likely acquaintances growing up close to one another (Propinquity-of-Rearing Defined Acquaintances [PRDAs]). Method: PRDAs were pairs of same-age subjects growing up within 1 km of each other and sharing the same school class, where one of whom (PRDA1) was first registered for AUD at age 15 or older. Using adult residential location, we predicted proximity-dependent risk for an AUD first registration in a second PRDA within 3 years of PRDA1’s registration. Results: In 150,195 informative siblings, cohabitation status (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.08, 1.37]), but not proximity, predicted risk for AUD onset. In 114,375 informative PRDA pairs, a log model fit best, predicting lower risk the greater the distance (HR = 0.88, 95% CI [0.84, 0.92]) with risks for AUD at 10, 50, and 100 km from affected PRDA1 cases equaling, respectively: 0.73 [0.66, 0.82], 0.60 [0.51, 0.72], and 0.55 [0.45, 0.68]. Within PRDA acquaintanceships, results resembled those found among PRDA pairs. The proximity-dependent contagious risk for AUD among PRDA pairs was attenuated by increasing age, lower genetic risk, and higher educational attainment. Conclusions: Cohabitation but not distance predicted transmission of AUD between siblings. However, contagious transmission of AUD among acquaintances growing up and attending school together was present and attenuated by increasing distance in adulthood. The impact of adult proximity on transmission was moderated by age, educational attainment, and genetic risk for AUD. Our results provide support for the validity of contagion models for AUD.

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MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Beroendelära (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Substance Abuse (hsv//eng)

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