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Parent–Offspring Similarity for Drinking: A Longitudinal Adoption Study

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Abstract

Parent–offspring resemblance for drinking was investigated in a sample of 409 adopted and 208 non-adopted families participating in the Sibling Interaction and Behavior Study. Drinking data was available for 1,229 offspring, assessed longitudinally up to three times in the age range from 10 to 28 years. A single drinking index was computed from four items measuring quantity, frequency and density of drinking. As expected, the mean drinking index increased with age, was greater in males as compared to females (although not at the younger ages), but did not vary significantly by adoption status. Parent–offspring correlation in drinking did not vary significantly by either offspring or parent gender but did differ significantly by adoption status. In adopted families, the parent–offspring correlation was statistically significant at all ages but decreased for the oldest age group (age 22–28). In non-adopted families, the parent–offspring correlation was statistically significant at all ages and increased in the oldest age group. Findings imply that genetic influences on drinking behavior increase with age while shared family environment influences decline, especially during the transition from late-adolescence to early adulthood.

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Acknowledgments

Supported in part by Grants from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (AA11886) and the National Institute of Mental Health (MH066140).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

The SIBS protocol was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board at the University of Minnesota. Written informed assent or consent was obtained from all participants, with parents providing written consent for their minor children.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, 75 East River Rd., Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

    Matt McGue, Steve Malone, Margaret Keyes & William G. Iacono

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  1. Matt McGue
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  2. Steve Malone
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  3. Margaret Keyes
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  4. William G. Iacono
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Correspondence to Matt McGue.

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McGue, M., Malone, S., Keyes, M. et al. Parent–Offspring Similarity for Drinking: A Longitudinal Adoption Study. Behav Genet 44, 620–628 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-014-9672-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-014-9672-8

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