Abstract
Background: With a longitudinal prospective design, the purpose of this study was
1) to assess, with survival analysis, the age of onset of drinking in relation to
family history of alcoholism; 2) to examine the importance of selected neurobiological
and psychosocial risk factors in predicting the onset to drink; and 3) to determine
if the age of onset of substance dependence problems differed by risk group status.
Methods: One hundred twenty-five children and adolescents were evaluated annually
(N = 638 evaluations), providing up to seven annual waves of longitudinal data. Survival
analyses were performed to determine the age of onset of regular drinking and the
age of onset for substance abuse/dependence. The age of onset of regular drinking
outcome was modeled using familial density of alcoholism and four factors, which included
neurobiological indices of development (postural sway and P300), personality characteristics,
academic achievement, self-esteem, and trait anxiety.
Results: High-risk children/adolescents showed a significantly earlier age of onset
of drinking and an earlier age of onset for substance abuse problems. Familial density
of alcoholism predicted an earlier onset of drinking, as did having deficits in reading
achievement, reduced P300 (visual and auditory), and greater postural sway for age.
Higher scores on the Extraversion scale of the Junior version of the Eysenck Personality
Inventory also predicted an earlier onset of drinking.
Conclusions: Familial density of alcoholism (number of alcoholic first- and second-degree
relatives) is an important predictor of adolescent alcohol initiation. Evidence is
presented suggesting that part of the familial/genetic variation in outcome may be
due to neurobiological factors and temperament.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
February 3,
2000
Received in revised form:
January 28,
2000
Received:
October 25,
1999
Identification
Copyright
© 2000 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
