VARIABLES ASSOCIATED WITH ALCOHOL-ABUSE AMONG SELF-IDENTIFIED COLLEGIATE COAS AND THEIR PEERS

In order to investigate the interrelationship among children of alcoho lics (COA) status, problem drinking, gender, and several psychosocial variables, a sample of college students completed a questionnaire that measured consequences of drinking, parental drinking habits, family e nvironment, and personality. No relationship was found between COA sta tus and either the likelihood or severity of problem drinking. Further more, COAs and non-COAs differed on only 4 of 15 psychosocial variable s, suggesting a smaller impact of parental alcohol abuse than is commo nly assumed. The variable most consistently related to problem drinkin g was social nonconformity, a measure of antisocial behavior. Findings suggest the importance of investigating the development and maintenan ce of antisocial behaviors as etiological factors in problem drinking among college students, rather than COA status per se.