A family study of homeland Korean alcohol use

Survey data were obtained from 199 homeland Korean families consisting of 1 99 sets of parents, and 300 college-age sons (162) and daughters (138). Dat a were obtained regarding quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption by users and of judgments of what constituted "normal" and "problem" alcohol u se, flushing status, symptoms experienced following alcohol use, reasons fo r drinking given by users, and reasons for abstaining given by abstainers. Fathers and sons differed little in use status, but daughters were abstaine rs far less often than their mothers. Female users drank a good deal less t han males, fathers and sons differed slightly, while daughters drank consid erably more than their mothers. Own use was substantially correlated with j udgments of the nature of normal use and far less related judgements of pro blem use. There was a significant difference in fast versus slow skin flush ing, with a higher proportion of females being fast flushers. Fast flushers drank less than slow flushers and also judged lower amounts of consumption as being "normal" Fast flushers experienced more physical symptoms than sl ow flushers: persons who drank more experienced fewer symptoms. Males more than females, slow flushers more than fast flushers, and heavy more than li ght users of alcohol are more likely to endorse a variety of reasons for dr inking. Reasons for not drinking differ little across family membership gro ups. Contemporary homeland Koreans drink less than would have been expected on the basis of prior research, even though there is a substantial generat ional difference among females, with daughters being less frequently abstai ners and drinking more, and more often than their mothers. (C) 2000 Elsevie r Science Ltd. All rights reserved.