SERIOUS ALCOHOL AND DRUG PROBLEMS AMONG ADOLESCENTS WITH A FAMILY HISTORY OF ALCOHOLISM

Data concerning adolescents' alcohol- and drug-using behaviors, as well as the drinking patterns of their parents, were obtained from a sample of 1,380 New Jersey youth born between 1961 and 1969. Initially tested between 1979 and 1981 at ages 12, 15 or 18, these subjects were retested two additional times at 3-year intervals (retest rate = 92%). We wished to determine if offspring of families exhibiting a positive history of alcoholism (FH+) reported a serious alcohol or drug problem (including seeking treatment) at a higher rate than those without such backgrounds (FH-). Analyses indicated that FH+ rates for a self-reported alcohol and/or drug problem were about twice the rate for FH- individuals and about 1.5 times as high as the base rate for the entire sample. However, there were no significant differences between the two groups of troubled youth in terms of alcohol or marijuana use patterns of the frequency of use-related negative consequences. Our data also illustrated that FH+ females were as likely as FH+ males to report a serious problem and that FH+ families reported a higher rate of having more than one troubled offspring. It is of special import that these results are based upon observations of a community-based sample of adolescents and young adults in contrast to studies relying upon clinical samples and retospective reports.