title: Psychological factors of familial alcoholism in American Indians and Caucasians.
abstract: Previous studies have reported on the familial transmission of alcoholism and its psychological concomitants. To date, investigators have not studied the familial factor and its relationship to transmission/risk in a group of American Indians (doubly at risk for alcoholism). In two related studies, we have assessed psychological adjustment and drinking behavior of (1) a group of Indians with one or more first-degree alcoholic relatives and a group of Indians without a history of familial alcoholism; and (2) Indians with a history of familial alcoholism compared to Caucasians with a history of familial alcoholism. Results indicate no psychological functioning differences between familial and nonfamilial Indians. However, the familial Indian group reported a style of drinking that more closely resembled that of an alcoholic group. Looking at these data cross-culturally, there are differences between Indians and Caucasians on psychological adjustment, as well as drinking behavior. These differences are present in spite of a shared familial history of alcoholism.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000523:psychology*; D009825:Oklahoma; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012931:Social Environment