NCJ Number
251853
Journal
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs Volume: 78 Issue: 3 Dated: 2017 Pages: 458-462
Date Published
2017
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This study estimated logistic regression models to assess the association between fathers' lifetime incidence of an alcohol-use and cannabis-use disorder and their children's onset of use of these same substances at or before age 15.
Abstract
The unique influence of fathers' alcohol and cannabis use disorder on their children's onset of use of these same substances has been rarely studied. A clear understanding of family history in this context is important for the development of family-based prevention initiatives aimed at delaying the onset of substance use among children. The current study analyzed prospective, longitudinal, and intergenerational data on 274 father-child dyads. Logistic regression models were estimated to assess the association between fathers' lifetime incidence of an alcohol-use and cannabis-use disorder, as well as their children's onset of the use of these same substances at or before age 15. The study found that the children of fathers who met the criteria for a lifetime cannabis-use disorder were more likely to initiate use of alcohol (odds ratio = 6.71, 95 percent CI [1.92, 23.52]) and cannabis (odds ratio = 8.13, 95 percent CI [2.07, 31.95]) by age 15, when background covariates and presence of a lifetime alcohol-use disorder were controlled. No unique effect of fathers' alcohol-use disorder on children's onset of alcohol use and cannabis use was observed. The study's overall conclusion is that fathers' lifetime cannabis-use disorder had a unique and robust association with children's uptake of alcohol and cannabis by age 15. Future research is needed to identify the mediating mechanisms that link fathers' disorder with children's early onset. (Publisher abstract modified)