Partner effects and bidirectional parent-child effects in family alcohol use.
BACKGROUND
The current study investigated partner effects and bidirectional parent-child effects in family alcohol use.


METHODS
A full family, longitudinal design was used to test the hypotheses. Participants were 428 families, including mothers, fathers, and 2 children. Associations were measured over two waves with a 2-year interval, by means of structural equation modeling.


RESULTS
Whereas alcohol use of the younger children was affected by alcohol use of both parents, alcohol use of the older children was only affected by alcohol use of mother. Moreover, although the effects were small, alcohol use of older children affected later alcohol use of both parents.


CONCLUSIONS
Associations between alcohol use of parents and children seem to be bidirectional. Future studies are needed to find out whether these findings are incidental or structural. If the effects are structural, potential underlying reciprocal processes within the family play a role in the development of adolescent alcohol use.
Otten
Roy
R
Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. r.otten@pwo.ru.nl
van der Zwaluw
Carmen S
CS
van der Vorst
Haske
H
Engels
Rutger C M E
RC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*