Preadolescent children of substance-dependent fathers with antisocial personality disorder: Psychiatric disorders and problem behaviors

We compared psychiatric disorders and problem behavior scores in pre-adoles cent children of fathers with alcohol or other drug dependence and ASP (SD/ASP+), children whose fathers had substance dependence without ASP (SD+/AS P-), and children whose fathers were without either disorder (SD-/ASP-). SD +/ASP+ children showed elevated rates of major depression, conduct disorder , attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and separation anxiety disorder when compared to SD+/ASP- and SD-/ASP- chil dren. SD+/ASP+ children had higher internalizing and externalizing problem behavior scores than the other two groups of children. The results suggest that SD+/ASP+ children are at significant risk for internalizing and extern alizing psychopathology.