title: Parental alcohol history differentially predicts offspring disorders in distinct subgroups in Israel.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The association between alcoholism in parents and related disorders in their offspring is well established in cultures with intermediate/high alcohol consumption, but not in those with low consumption, such as Israel. This study investigated differences in parental transmission of alcohol problems and related psychopathology between immigrants from the former Soviet Union (FSU) to Israel and other Israelis-two Israeli subgroups with differing alcohol consumption behaviors and social norms.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1,347 adults from a household sample were interviewed. Regression analyses were used to examine associations between parental alcohol problems and participant disorders: alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis use disorders (AUD, NUD, CUD); antisocial personality disorder (ASPD); major depressive disorder (MDD); and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We also examined the associations of parental alcohol problems with participant disorders characterized with two latent factors: externalizing (EXT: AUD, NUD, CUD, ASPD) and internalizing (INT: MDD, PTSD). Differential parental transmission of alcohol problems in FSU (n = 315) and non-FSU (n = 1,032) Israelis was examined with statistical interaction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among emigrants from the FSU, parental alcohol problems predicted AUD, NUD, CUD, ASPD, PTSD, EXT, and INT (mean ratios = 1.38-4.83). In non-FSU Israelis, parental alcohol problems predicted only ASPD and PTSD (mean ratios = 1.08-4.09). Significant interactions were observed for AUD, CUD, PTSD, and EXT; each relationship was stronger in FSU Israelis and null (AUD, CUD, EXT) or less robust (PTSD) in other Israelis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Parental alcohol problems were related to substance use and psychiatric disorders differently in FSU and other Israelis, two groups with different alcohol consumption levels and drinking norms. We propose that, in social contexts that vary in the degree to which they constrain alcohol behavior, underlying genetic predispositions may manifest as different disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Jacquelyn L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Meyers
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Dvora
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shmulewitz
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Jennifer C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Elliott
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Ronald G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Efrat
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aharonovich
authors.affiliation: Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Baruch
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Spivak
authors.affiliation: Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel, Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petah Tikva, Israel, Research Unit, Geha Mental Health Center, Petah Tikva, Israel.
authors.forename: Abraham
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weizman
authors.affiliation: Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel, Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petah Tikva, Israel.
authors.forename: Amos
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Frisch
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Epidemiology and Biometry, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Bridget F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Deborah S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Hasin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests