Alcohol Use Disorder among Adolescents: Impact of Paternal Alcoholism on Drinking Behavior, Drinking Motivation, and Consequences

Abstract

This study examined the impact of an Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) in biological fathers on drinking history, context, motivation, and consequences in male and female adolescents dichotomized according to the presence or absence of an AUD. Main effects for paternal history of an AUD were not found on any variable. Significant interactions were observed between father-son diagnostic status with respect to age of first alcohol use (p < 0.001) and peer relationships (p < 0.001). No significant interactions were observed between father-daughter diagnostic status. As expected, adolescents with AUD differed from adolescents without AUD on numerous variables pertaining to drinking behavior, history, and consequences. These findings indicate that there is no strong or pervasive effect of paternal AUD on adolescent offspring's AUD characteristics.