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Adult Offspring of Alcoholic Women as Family History Informants
Author(s) -
Smith Elizabeth M.,
Przybeck Thomas R.,
Bradford Susan E.,
Gogineni Aruna,
Spitznagel Edward L.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1994.tb01436.x
Subject(s) - offspring , proband , family history , affect (linguistics) , psychology , psychiatry , medicine , pregnancy , biology , biochemistry , genetics , communication , mutation , gene
Eighteen years after their mothers had been hospitalized for alcoholism, adult offspring were asked if any of their 1st‐degree relatives had ever had a drinking problem. Proband and informant characteristics that affect the validity of reports of maternal drinking problems given by adult offspring of alcoholic women were identified. A history of alcohol‐related medical problems in the mother was associated with reporting maternal alcoholism. Being African‐American, having a history of suicide attempts in the mother, and having a good maternal posttreatment outcome were associated with false‐negative reports. Adding multiple offspring informants increased sensitivity to 86%. Female alcoholic offspring tended to underreport maternal alcoholism.