The risk of offspring developing substance use disorders when exposed to one versus two parent(s) with alcohol use disorder: A nationwide, register-based cohort study.
Few population-based, family studies have examined associations between exposure to one vs. two parent(s) with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and the risk of offspring developing substance use disorder (SUD). Moreover, these studies have focused solely on the development of AUD, and not SUD, in offspring. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether exposure to one vs. two parent(s) with AUD increases the risk of offspring developing SUD.



A population-based, cohort study was conducted in which offspring born in Denmark between 1983 and 1989 were followed through national registries until 2011. Register-based data were obtained from the: Psychiatric Central Research Register, National Patient Registry, Civil Registration System, Fertility Database, and Cause of Death Register. Adjusted hazard ratios were calculated using multivariate Cox-regression models.



A total of 398,881 offspring were included in this study. Of these, 3.9% had at least one parent with AUD. Parental AUD was significantly associated with the development of SUD in offspring. Having one parent with AUD was linked to a 1.44-fold increased risk (95% CL, 1.29-1.61), while having two parents with AUD was linked to a 2.29-fold increased risk (95% CI, 1.64-3.20). No significant differences were found in relation to either parental or offspring gender.



Exposure to parental AUD is linked to an increased risk of offspring developing SUD. This risk is additive for offspring exposed to double parental AUD. The findings have important implications for clinical assessment and intervention strategies, as well as the management of offspring exposed to parental AUD.
Unit of Psychiatric Research, Institute of Regional Health Services Research, University of Southern Denmark, Åbenrå, Denmark; Unit of Psychiatric Research, Institute of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark. Electronic address: amellentin@health.sdu.dk.
Angelina Isabella
AI
Mellentin
Unit of Psychiatric Research, Institute of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Maria
M
Brink
Department of Neurology, Institute of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Lene
L
Andersen
Research Unit, Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, Capital Region of Denmark, Denmark; Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, MD, USA.
Annette
A
Erlangsen
Unit of Psychiatric Research, Institute of Regional Health Services Research, University of Southern Denmark, Åbenrå, Denmark; Unit of Psychiatric Research, Institute of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Elsebeth
E
Stenager
Unit of Psychiatric Research, Institute of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Lene Berit
LB
Bjerregaard
Unit of Psychiatric Research, Institute of Regional Health Services Research, University of Southern Denmark, Åbenrå, Denmark; Research Unit, Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Odense, Institute of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Erik
E
Christiansen
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018672:Community Health Planning; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D055815:Young Adult
Alcohol use disorder; Family history; Offspring; Parental; Substance use disorder