PSYCHOPATHOLOGY IN PREADOLESCENT SONS OF FATHERS WITH SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS

Objective: While preadolescent children of parents with substance use disorders (SUDs) are known to have more behavior problems, depression, and anxiety than expected, psychiatric disorders in these children an d their relationships with parental disorders have not been systematic ally investigated. This study compares the psychiatric disorders of pr eadolescent boys of fathers with and without SUDs and examines the rel ationships between offspring and parental psychopathology. Method: Fat hers (i.e., probands) of boys 10 through 12 years old were recruited t o represent families of boys with paternal SUD (high risk or HR: n = 1 13) and boys without paternal SUD (low average risk or LAR: n = 170). These boys (i.e., index cases) and their biological parents participat ed in structured diagnostic interviews, and diagnoses were determined by the best-estimate method. Results: Disruptive behavior disorders an d anxiety disorders were more prevalent in HR than in LAR index cases. Logistic regression analyses examining the relationships between pare ntal and index case psychopathology indicated that parental childhood psychiatric disorders were more strongly predictive of index case psyc hiatric disorders than parental adulthood psychiatric disorders, inclu ding SUDs. Conclusions: Inasmuch as HR boys had increased rates of dis ruptive behavior disorders and anxiety disorders, these disorders may be important targets for early intervention to prevent the development of SUD, as well as the morbidity associated with these disorders. Pre vention efforts and studies of the transmission of liability for psych iatric disorders in children should carefully consider parental childh ood characteristics.