Alcoholism and Timing of Separation in Parents: Findings in a Midwestern Birth Cohort

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Objective:We examined history of alcoholism and occurrence and timing of separation in parents of a female twin cohort. Method: Parental separation (never-together; never-married cohabitants who separated; married who separated) was predicted from maternal and paternal alcoholism in 326 African ancestry (AA) and 1,849 European/ other ancestry (EA) families. Broad (single-informant, reported in abstract) and narrow (self-report or two-informant) measures of alcoholism were compared. Results: Parental separation was more common in families with parental alcoholism: By the time twins were 18 years of age, parents had separated in only 24% of EA families in which neither parent was alcoholic, contrasted with 58% of families in which only the father was (father-only), 61% of families in which only the mother was (mother-only), and 75% in which both parents were alcoholic (two-parent); corresponding AA percentages were 59%, 71%, 82%, and 86%, respectively. Maternal alcoholism was more common in EA nevertogether couples (mother-only: odds ratio [OR] = 5.95; two parent: OR = 3.69). In ever-together couples, alcoholism in either parent predicted elevated risk of separation, with half of EA relationships ending in separation within 12 years of twins' birth for father-only families, 9 years for mother-only families, and 4 years for both parents alcoholic; corresponding median survival times for AA couples were 9, 4, and 2 years, respectively. EA maternal alcoholism was especially strongly associated with separation in the early postnatal years (mother-only: birth-5 years, hazard ratio [HR] = 4.43; 6 years on, HR = 2.52; two-parent: HRs = 5.76, 3.68, respectively). Conclusions: Parental separation is a childhood environmental exposure that is more common in children of alcoholics, with timing of separation highly dependent on alcoholic parent gender. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 74, 337-348, 2013)

Alcohol Dependence and Reproductive Timing in African and European Ancestry Women: Findings in a Midwestern Twin Cohort

“…Parental alcoholism was coded from parental self-report of AD, parental ratings of coparent AD symptoms, and twin ratings of each parent as a problem and excessive drinker, the latter assessed at Waves 1 and 4. Consistent with earlier work, a parent was considered alcoholic based on positive self-report or any family history rating (see Waldron et al, 2012Waldron et al, , 2013. CSA was queried at Waves 1 and 4 and defi ned as unwanted or forced sexual activity before age 18.…”

The Association of Low Parental Monitoring With Early Substance Use in European American and African American Adolescent Girls

“…Participants were twins from the Missouri Adolescent Female Twin Study (MOAFTS) (Heath et al, 1999(Heath et al, , 2002Knopik et al, 2005;Waldron et al, 2013), a populationbased longitudinal study of female twin pairs identified from state birth records and born between July 1, 1975, andJune 30, 1985, in Missouri to a mother who was a state resident. Twins were recruited using a cohort sequential sampling design, with ascertainment of successive 6-month cohorts of 13-, 15-, 17-, and 19-year-old twin pairs over a 2-year period and continued recruitment of 13-year-olds over 2 additional years.…”

“…Parental Wave 1 interview data were available for the majority of individuals (n = 3,029; EA = 2,673; AA = 356). A detailed summary of response rates can be found elsewhere (Waldron et al, 2013).…”

Interrelationship between family history of alcoholism and generational status in the prediction of alcohol dependence in US Hispanics

“…Familial alcoholism encompasses both family environment and genetic effects. Parental alcoholism is associated with known risk factors for alcohol use disorders in offspring, including reduced family communication and parental monitoring, parental separation, and harsh discipline practices (Chartier et al , 2010, Thompson et al , 2008, Waldron et al , 2013). Likewise, adoption and twin studies and the large-scale study of alcohol dependent probands and their family members support a genetic basis for alcoholism (Edenberg and Foroud, 2006, Verhulst et al , 2015).…”