Abstract
Familial alcoholism is associated with various types of psychopathology in offspring, yet most studies do not differentiate maternal from paternal alcoholism. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of maternal and paternal alcoholism and gender on alcohol consumption, an alcohol-related self-cognition, and four types of psychopathologic symptoms in young adults. Data were drawn from a study designed to examine the role of the self-concept in alcoholism and recovery. The sample included young adults with a current DSM-IV diagnosis of alcohol dependence (n = 25), those with a history of DSM-IV alcohol dependence who were abstinent for at least 12 months (n = 18), and nonalcoholic controls (n = 23). Regression analyses showed that 1) alcoholism on the paternal side of the family independently predicted drinking behavior and symptoms of social phobia over and above the effects of current alcohol dependence, 2) neither alcoholism on the maternal nor paternal side of the family predicted the alcohol-related self-cognition score, and 3) alcoholism on the maternal side of the family predicted symptoms of major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, with women having more major depressive symptoms, and men with alcoholism on the maternal side having more anxiety symptoms. These findings suggest that maternal and paternal alcoholism may confer different risks to the offspring, and that risk may vary depending on the gender of the offspring. Results highlight the importance of examining the effects of maternal and paternal alcoholism separately in research, and have important implications for assessing risk for high levels of alcohol consumption and psychopathology.