Clinical and Social/Environmental Characteristics in a Community Sample of Children With and Without Family Histories of Substance Use Disorder in the San Antonio Area: A Descriptive Study

Abstract

This is a descriptive study of the recruitment and clinical/environmental characteristics of a child cohort (ages 10–12) established to test transmission of impulsivity in children with (FH⁺; N = 305) and without (FH^–; N = 81) family history of substance use disorder. Among this cohort FH⁺ children had more emotional and behavioral symptoms, worse family relationships, and more deviant peers compared to FH⁻ children. This cohort of children was established prior to the initiation of regular substance use and significant clinical problems, which will allow the opportunity to examine reciprocal relations between development of impulse control and substance use development.

KEYWORDS:

• children
• family history
• impulsivity
• longitudinal
• substance use

Funding

Research supported in this manuscript was supported by NIDA of the National Institutes of Health under award numbers R01DA026868 and 3R01DA033997-02S2.