Are Parental Alcohol Use Disorder Histories Associated With Offspring Behavior Problems at Age 2?

Objective: Studies of clinical and high-risk samples have demonstrated associations between parental alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and offspring's internalizing and externalizing behavior problems during adolescence and early adulthood. It remains unclear, however, whether associations between parental AUD histories and offspring behavior problems are evident among very young offspring who were not directly exposed to a parent who experienced an active AUD episode during the child's lifetime. The present study sought to evaluate internalizing and externalizing behavior problems among young children as a function of paternal and maternal AUD histories and associated clinical features.

Method: The community sample consisted of 160 families with a 2-year-old child and parents who did not experience an AUD episode since the child was born. Parental AUD histories and associated clinical features were evaluated with semistructured interviews, and parental reports of child internalizing and externalizing behaviors were assessed with an age-appropriate behavior checklist.

Results: In contrast to previous findings from clinical and high-risk samples, when paternal and maternal AUD histories and associated clinical features were evaluated as predictors of child behavior problems, no statistically significant associations were detected (βs ranged from .01 to .18). Moderating effects of sex of the offspring were also not significant.

Conclusions: Parental AUD histories do not appear to confer risk for offspring internalizing or externalizing behavior problems at age 2. The emergence of such behavior problems may be limited to specific developmental periods during childhood or reflect the impact of direct exposure to parents with alcohol-related problems.