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Prediction of drug abuse recurrence: a Swedish National Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 October 2017

K. S. Kendler*
Affiliation:
Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
H. Ohlsson
Affiliation:
Center for Primary Health Care Research, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
K. Sundquist
Affiliation:
Center for Primary Health Care Research, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
J. Sundquist
Affiliation:
Center for Primary Health Care Research, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
*
Author for correspondence: K. S. Kendler, E-mail: kenneth.kendler@vcuhealth.org
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Abstract

Background

Relapse from drug abuse (DA) is common, but has rarely been studied in general population samples using a wide range of objective predictors.

Method

Using nationwide registries, we ascertained 44 523 subjects first registered for DA between the ages of 15 and 40 in 1998 to 2004 and followed for 8 years. We predicted relapse in subjects defined as a second DA registration. We also predicted DA relapse in relative pairs concordant for DA but discordant for relapse.

Results

In multivariate regression analyses, the strongest predictors for relapse were prior criminal behavior, male sex, being on social welfare, low school achievement, prior alcoholism, and a high-risk father. A risk index trained from these analyses on random split-halves demonstrated a risk ratio of 1.11 [95% confidence intervals (CIs) 1.10–1.11] per decile and an ROC value of 0.70 (0.69–0.71). Co-relative analyses indicated that a modest proportion of this association was causal, with the remainder arising from familial confounders. A developmental structural equation model revealed a complex interviewing of risk pathways to DA with three key mediational hubs: low educational attainment, early age at first registration, and being on social welfare.

Conclusions

In a general population sample, using objective registry information, DA relapse is substantially predictable. However, the identified risk factors may not be valid targets for interventions because many index familial risk and may not impact causally on probability of relapse. Risk for DA relapse may reflect an inter-weaving, over developmental time, of genetic–temperamental vulnerability, indices of externalizing behaviors and social factors reflecting deprivation.

Information

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 
Figure 0

Table 1. Univariate and multivariate regression analysis of relapse of drug abuse from twenty-five putative risk factors

Figure 1

Fig. 1. The risk-ratio for Drug Abuse relapse as a function of the Decile of our Risk Index Created from our Multiple Regression Analyses. The figure also shows the predicted relapse rates by decile of risk.

Figure 2

Table 2. The observed and predicted risk ratio for drug abuse relapse per decile of risk score in the general population, and cousins, full siblings and MZ twins concordant for drug abuse but discordant for relapse

Figure 3

Table 3. The total and indirect effect of predictor variables from our structural equation model on prediction of relapse of drug abuse and the major mediating variables

Figure 4

Fig. 2. A Structural Equation Path Model for the Prediction of Drug Abuse Relapse – Two-headed arrows represent correlation coefficients while one-headed arrows represent path coefficients or standardized partial regression coefficients. The variables were ordered to approximate a developmental process within 5 color-coded tiers that approximated five developmental periods: (1) birth and familial factors – yellow, (2) childhood and early adolescence – brown, (3) late adolescence – green), (4) early adulthood – blue, (5) at initial DA registration – red. The color of the paths reflects the tier of the dependent variable while the color underlining the path coefficient indexes the tier of the predictor variable. See the online Supplementary Table A1 for a detailed description of each variable in the model.

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Kendler et al supplementary material

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