Psychopathology among Offspring of Parents with Substance Abuse and/or Anxiety Disorders: A High-risk Study

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a high-risk study of children under age 18 of parents who served as probands in a family study of comorbidity of substance abuse and anxiety disorders. There was a strong degree of specificity of familial aggregation of both the anxiety disorders and substance disorders. Rates of conduct disorder and depression were elevated among offspring of all affected parents. Inclusion of co-parent disorders in the evaluation of familial transmission in the present study strengthened the findings regarding the specificity of transmission of the anxiety disorders and the links between both parental substance abuse and antisocial personality with child conduct disorder.

The developmental origin of adolescent alcohol use: Findings from the Mater University Study of Pregnancy and its outcomes

“…We found a weak but significant ssociation of maternal drinking before pregnancy, which may reflect residual confounding from other aternal or parental factors which we were not able to measure in this study (Merikangas et al, 1998b). We lso found associations of maternal drinking before and after pregnancy with child's greater consumption of lcohol in adolescence, a marker of environmental and/or modelling influences during child development, hich are known to contribute to later alcohol problems ([Lieb et al, 2002] and [Merikangas et al, 1998a]). ur main objective was to assess a potential association between maternal drinking in pregnancy and dolescent patterns of alcohol use.…”

Comorbidity of Physical and Mental Disorders in the Neurodevelopmental Genomics Cohort Study

“…An abbreviated computerized version of the Kiddie version of the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS) using a structured screener 30 was administered face-toface to the youth and/or caretakers to collect diagnostic information to derive dimensional ratings of indices of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), mental disorders. 31,32 More details on the training and interrater reliability of the interviewers are described in another publication on the study methods. 33 After obtaining written legal guardian consent and youth assent, parents or caretakers were interviewed to provide diagnostic information on participating youth ages 8 to 17 years, and those aged 11 to 21 years were also interviewed directly.…”

Comorbidity of Physical and Mental Disorders in the Neurodevelopmental Genomics Cohort Study

“…An abbreviated computerized version of the Kiddie version of the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS) using a structured screener 30 was administered face-toface to the youth and/or caretakers to collect diagnostic information to derive dimensional ratings of indices of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), mental disorders. 31,32 More details on the training and interrater reliability of the interviewers are described in another publication on the study methods. 33 After obtaining written legal guardian consent and youth assent, parents or caretakers were interviewed to provide diagnostic information on participating youth ages 8 to 17 years, and those aged 11 to 21 years were also interviewed directly.…”