Although peer pressure can influence adolescents’ alcohol use, individual susceptibility to these pressures varies across individuals. The dopamine receptor D4 gene (DRD4<span>) is a potential candidate gene that may influence adolescents’ susceptibility to their peer environment due to the role dopamine plays in reward sensation during social interaction. We hypothesized that </span>DRD4<span> genotype status would moderate the impact of 7th-grade antisocial peer pressure on 12th-grade lifetime alcohol use (</span>n<span> = 414; 58.7 % female; 92.8 % White). The results revealed significant main effects for antisocial peer pressure, but no main effects for</span>DRD4<span> genotype on lifetime alcohol use. Adolescent </span>DRD4<span> genotype moderated the association between peer pressure and lifetime alcohol use. For individuals who carried at least one copy of the </span>DRD4<span> 7-repeat allele (7+), antisocial peer pressure was associated with increased lifetime alcohol use. These findings indicate that genetic sensitivity to peer pressure confers increased alcohol use in late adolescence.</span>
They are personal, and involve new habits or personal goals
