Adoption Studies.
Year: 1995
Type: article
Abstract: Researchers use adoption studies to determine the contributions of genetic and environmental factors to the development of alcohol problems. These studies generally compare the outcomes of adoptees who have biological parents with alcohol problems and who grow up in various adoptive environments with the outcomes of adoptees without such family backgrounds but raised in similar environments. Using certain statistical approaches, adoption studies also allow for the evaluation of specific gene-environment interactions in determining an outcome such as alcoholism. To obtain data that allow meaningful and generalizable conclusions, however, scientists must select a representative group of study subjects, obtain valid information about these subjects from a wide variety of sources, and consider biases inherent in adoption practices.
Source: PubMed Central
Author: Remi J Cadoret
Institution: University of Iowa
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4293105297