Alcohol-related problems, marital disruption and depressive symptoms among adult children of alcohol abusers in the United States.

Dependent problem drinking, marital disruption and depressive symptoms of sons and daughters of alcohol abusers are examined in a representative sample of 1,772 adults in the United States. Controlling for the sociodemographic characteristics of the adult sons and daughters in logistic regression analyses and for the alcohol-related problems (e.g., alcohol dependence) of the sons and daughters in the analyses of marital disruption and depressive symptoms, the results suggest that having parents who have been alcohol abusers places sons at risk for dependent problem drinking, both sons and daughters at risk for divorce or separation and daughters at risk for depressive symptomatology.