Parental alcoholism
creates risk factors
for substance abuse in emerging adults
Newswise — The impacts of
parental alcoholism in children are well known, particularly
the alcohol consumption habits of children of alcoholics (COA’s).
However, until now, little research has been conducted on
the correlation between parental alcoholism and illicit drug
use in emerging adults. A new study by David Flora, PhD of
the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (now at York
University), and Laurie Chassin, PhD of Arizona State
University, shows that parental alcoholism represents a risk
factor for maladaptive behaviors in adulthood that extend
beyond alcoholism and into illicit drug use. The study
appears in the current issue of Psychology of Addictive
Behaviors, published by the American Psychological
Association (APA).
This research identifies
parental alcoholism as an important risk factor for
escalated use of both alcohol and other drugs during young
adulthood. Specifically, parental alcoholism has been
associated with both an early onset of drinking and with
persistent alcohol abuse throughout adulthood. Currently 1
in 4 children (under the age of 18) grow up in a household
affected by alcoholism according to the National Association
of Children of Alcoholics. That means 1 in 4 emerging adults
and young adults will be faced with an increased risk for
alcoholism and illicit drug use, simply because of exposure
to an alcoholic parent.
This study followed 545
adolescents over a period of 15 years to monitor their drug
use. The researchers were looking for differences in
patterns of drug experimentation and drug use into early
adulthood between children of alcoholics and children of
non-alcoholics. According to the study findings, COA’s
maintained consistent levels of drug use, such that by ages
25-30, their level of drug use was substantially higher than
that of children of non-alcoholics. The study results
indicate that as a consequence of parental alcoholism COA’s
didn’t follow the typical trend by which individuals are
expected to “mature out” and decline in drug use before age
30.
In order to test
mediational models, the researchers looked at marriage and
its effect on declines in drug use. For all participants,
both COA’s and non-COA’s, marriage was associated with lower
levels of drug use. However, since COA’s were less likely to
be married, they were more likely to have continued elevated
levels of drug use in young adulthood.
Article: Changes in Drug
Use During Young Adulthood: The Effect of Parent Alcoholism
and Transition Into Marriage. David Flora, Ph.D., York
University; Laurie Chassin, Ph.D., Arizona State University;
Psychology of Addiction Behaviors, Vol. 19, No.4.
Full text of the article
is available from the APA Public Affairs Office and at
http://www.apa.org/releases/alcohol0106.html
The American Psychological
Association (APA), in Washington, DC, is the largest
scientific and professional organization representing
psychology in the United States and is the world’s largest
association of psychologist. APA’s membership includes more
than 150,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants
and students. Through its divisions in 53 subfields of
psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and
Canadian provincial associations; APA works to advance
psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of
promoting human welfare.
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