Familial factors influencing the consumption of anxiolytics and hypnotics by children and adolescents

Many hypotheses have been made to explain the high rate of benzodiazepine c onsumption in France, including a general cultural and/or familial tendency to use certain types of psychotropic drugs. This study explored the associ ation between lifetime medication use by parents and their children. Two hu ndred and twenty-one young patients (158 boys and 63 girls) consulting at a child and adolescent psychiatry department, six to 16 years of age (mean = 9.7 years), were screened for lifetime use of psychotropic drugs using a s tructured interview. Parents were asked about their own consumption, as wel l as their children's. Lifetime consumption rates (at least once) were 22.2 % in boys and 20.6% in girls, and 19.6% in children less than 11 years old. Higher rates were found in patients with emotional disorders (anxiety diso rders and depression). In parents, 45,1% of mothers and 24.1% of fathers re ported using medications at least once. A significant association was found between child and parental medication use: 34.1% of children had positive lifetime consumption when their mothers also used medications at least once versus only 13.6% in other children (odds ratio = 3.31 [1.68-6.50];P = 0.0 01), The most significant association was found between medication use by g irls and their mothers (odds ratio = 12.1 [2.38-61.5]; P = 0.003). These da ta point to the existence of a family pattern of psychotropic drug consumpt ion, especially in females. (C) 2001 Editions scientifiques et medicales El sevier SAS.