Authors: Assanangkornchai, Sawitri¹; Geater, Alan F.²; Saunders, John B.³; McNeil, Donald R.⁴

Source: Addiction, Volume 97, Number 2, February 2002 , pp. 217-226(10)

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Abstract:

Aims

To identify influences on the development of alcohol use disorders in a Thai population, particularly parental drinking and childhood environment. Design

Case-control study. Setting

A university hospital, a regional hospital and a community hospital in southern Thailand. Participants

Ninety-one alcohol-dependents and 77 hazardous/harmful drinkers were recruited as cases and 144 non- or infrequent drinkers as controls. Measurements

Data on parental drinking, family demographic characteristics, family activities, parental disciplinary practice, early religious life and conduct disorder were obtained using a structured interview questionnaire. The main outcome measure was the subject's classification as alcohol-dependent, hazardous/harmful drinker or non-/infrequent drinker. Findings

A significant relationship was found between having a drinking father and the occurrence of hazardous/harmful drinking or alcohol dependence in the subjects. Childhood factors (conduct disorder and having been a temple boy, relative probability ratios, RPRs and 95% CI: 6.39, 2.81-14.55 and 2.21, 1.19-4.08, respectively) also significantly predicted alcohol dependence, while perceived poverty and ethnic alienation was reported less frequently by hazardous/harmful drinkers and alcohol-dependents (RPRs and 95% CIs = 0.34, 0.19-0.62 and 0.59, 0.38-0.93, respectively) than the controls. The relative probability ratio for the effect of the father's infrequent drinking on the son's alcohol dependence was 2.92 (95% CI = 1.42-6.02) and for the father's heavy or dependent drinking 2.84 (95% CI = 1.31-6.15). Conclusions

Being exposed to a light-drinking father increases the risk of a son's alcohol use disorders exhibited either as hazardous-harmful or dependent drinking. However, exposure to a heavy- or dependent-drinking father is associated more uniquely with an increased risk of his son being alcohol-dependent. The extent to which this is seen in other cultures is worthy of exploration.

Keywords: Alcohol-use disorders; home environment; paternal drinking

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1360-0443.2002.00027.x

Affiliations: 1: Department of Psychiatry 2: Epidemiology Unit, 3: Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, HatYai, Songkhla, Thailand, Centre for Drug and Alcohol Studies, Department of Psychiatry, University of Queensland, Royal Brisbane Hospital, Herston, Australia 4: Department of Statistics, School of Economic and Financial Studies, Macquarie University, North Ryde, Australia

Publication date: 2002-02-01

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