Parental Separation and Offspring Alcohol Involvement: Findings from Offspring of Alcoholic and Drug Dependent Twin Fathers

Abstract

Background We examined associations between parental separation during childhood and offspring alcohol involvement, adjusting for genetic and environmental risks specific to parental alcohol and cannabis/other illicit drug dependence. Methods The sample consisted of 1828 offspring of male twins from the Vietnam-Era Twin Panel, who completed a telephone diagnostic interview. Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were conducted predicting onset of first use, transition from first use to first alcohol dependence (AD) symptom, and transition from first use to AD diagnosis from paternal and avuncular AD and drug dependence (DD) history, parental separation, and offspring and family background characteristics. Paternal/avuncular DD/AD was based on the DSM-III-R; offspring and maternal AD were based on DSM-IV criteria. Results Paternal DD/AD predicted increased offspring risk for all transitions, with genetic effects suggested on rate of transitioning to AD diagnosis. Parental separation was predictive of increased risk for early alcohol use, but a reduced rate of transition to both AD symptom onset and onset of AD. No interactions between separation and familial risk (indexed by paternal or avuncular DD/AD) were found. Conclusion Findings highlight the contribution of both parental separation and paternal substance dependence in predicting timing of offspring alcohol initiation and problems across adolescence into early adulthood.

Parental divorce and initiation of alcohol use in early adolescence.

“…The inconsistency with prior studies by Waldron et al (2014a, 2014b) and Grant et al (2015), in which risk conferred by parental separation/divorce was most pronounced in the pre- to early adolescent years, may in part be due to the younger age of the current sample, for whom onset of drinking occurred (by definition) at a young age. Subsequent studies either with older adolescent samples or with additional follow-up of this sample may reveal different relationships between divorce and alcohol use for earlier versus later ages of initiation.…”

“…Sartor et al (2007) also found that the contribution of parental divorce to initiation of alcohol use was not consistent over time, conferring the greatest risk for drinking when drinking was initiated prior to age 13 and after age 15. A similar pattern of results was found in the studies by Waldron et al (2014a, 2014b) and Grant et al (2015) that examined variability in the degree of influence of parental separation by age at parental separation and by age at alcohol use initiation. Their findings revealed that parental separation effects were greater for drinking that occurred in early versus later adolescence.…”

“…In addition to testing for sex differences in the association between parental separation/divorce and drinking onset given the evidence for sex differences in drinking rates (Chen & Jacobson, 2012) and adverse outcomes of parental divorce (Huurre, Junkkari, & Aro, 2006), we aimed to identify developmental specificity in terms of timing of both parental divorce and first drink. Building on recent work by Waldron et al (2014a; 2014b) and Grant et al (2015), we also tested whether there were additive (or even synergistic) effects whereby risk for early initiation of alcohol use was greatest among those with both parental divorce/separation and parent drinking. In an extension of this line of research, we considered the previously unexamined role of perceived stress as potentially exacerbating risk for early initiation conferred by parental divorce/separation.…”

Separación o divorcio de los padres. Consecuencias en los hijos y recomendaciones a los padres y pediatras

“…Muchos niños experimentan sentimientos de pér-dida cuando uno de los padres deja el hogar de la familia, pero algunos sienten alivio 21 . Este alivio sería explicable si un ambiente hostil y de violencia se interrumpe al ocurrir la separación de la pareja.…”

The Impact of Childhood Maltreatment on Age of Onset of Alcohol Use Disorder in Women

“…In a prospective study, Hill et al [28] showed that offsprings from families with maternal AUD had a significantly earlier onset of AUD in young adulthood. Paternal AUD or SUD also predicted an increased risk of the offspring's development of an AUD diagnosis [29]. Moreover, Fenton et al [17] showed a synergistic relationship between parental history of AUD and physical abuse and a relationship between sexual abuse and emotional neglect in women with AUD.…”