The effect of parental alcohol use on alcohol use disorder in young adulthood: Exploring the mediating roles of adolescent alcohol expectancies and consumption

Introduction Parental alcohol use and problems are risk factors for alcohol use disorder (AUD), and these effects may be mediated by adolescent alcohol expectancies and consumption. In the present study, we tested the direct effects of mothers' and fathers' alcohol consumption on young adult AUD, as well as the indirect effects through adolescent maximum alcohol use, alcohol consumption, and alcohol expectancies. Methods Participants were 5160 individuals (49.1% female) and their biological parents from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a cohort study of children born in southwestern England during 1991 and 1992. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test associations of mothers' and fathers' alcohol use (assessed when children were 12 years old) with age 24 AUD. Potential mediator variables included the maximum number of alcoholic drinks consumed within a 24‐h period by age 13.5 and alcohol expectancies and alcohol consumption at ages 17 and 20. Results Higher maternal and paternal alcohol use were associated with higher levels of alcohol consumption at age 17. Greater alcohol consumption, in turn, was related to a more severe presentation of AUD. The overall indirect effects of mothers' (b = 0.033, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.006, 0.059) and fathers' drinking (b = 0.041, 95% CI = 0.018, 0.064) on AUD were modest but significant, and were primarily comprised of adolescent alcohol consumption rather than alcohol expectancies. Conclusions Our findings underscore the importance of both mothers' and fathers' drinking for the development of alcohol use and problems across adolescence and young adulthood.