COMORBIDITY OF ALCOHOL AND ANXIETY DISORDERS AMONG COLLEGE-STUDENTS -EFFECTS OF GENDER AND FAMILY HISTORY OF ALCOHOLISM

We evaluated the effects of gender and family history for alcoholism o n the co-occurrence of anxiety disorders and alcohol disorders (''como rbidity'') in a large university student sample (N = 489). A structure d diagnostic interview was used to elicit life-time histories of anxie ty disorder (29%) and alcohol disorder (26%). The proportion of subjec ts receiving an alcohol diagnosis was significantly greater among thos e with an anxiety diagnosis (9% vs. 21%). Male subjects, as well as th ose with a parental history of alcoholism, had a significantly greater base-rate of alcohol disorder than did other subjects. However, these factors did not affect the relative increase in risk for an alcohol d isorder associated with the presence of an anxiety disorder; that is, these factors did not interact with (i.e., moderate) comorbidity risk. In discussing these results, we emphasize issues relevant to identify ing and distinguishing between interaction effects and base-rate effec ts in comorbidity studies.