Course of DSM-IV alcohol dependence in a community sample: effects of parental history and binge drinking.

BACKGROUND The role of positive family history in the etiology of alcohol dependence has been demonstrated repeatedly but little is known about the effect of this risk factor on the chronicity of alcohol dependence once it has begun. METHODS We studied the effects of parental and sibling history in conjunction with frequency of binge drinking in a sample of 169 community residents who met criteria for DSM-IV alcohol dependence at the baseline interview. Subjects were re-interviewed approximately 1 year later and the status of their alcohol-dependence disorders (remitted or chronic) was determined. RESULTS Parental history of alcoholism was significantly related to chronicity of alcohol dependence, as was frequency of binge drinking. CONCLUSIONS Failure to find an effect for family history on chronicity would have suggested that the effect was transient, perhaps interacting with time-limited environmental vulnerability. The finding of a positive relationship between family history and chronicity suggests that the relationship between familial/ genetic background and alcohol dependence is stable.