Familial risk for alcoholism and self-reported psychopathology

Three groups of young men varying in familial alcoholism risk (high density, high risk [HDHR]; low density, high risk [LDHR]; and low risk [LR]) were compared on the 11 clinical scales of the Personality Assessment Inventory. Significant group differences were found on 9 scales, with scores of the HDHR group exceeding those of the other 2 groups. No differences were found between the LDHR and LR groups. When the proportion with pathological scores per scale was examined, significant group differences were still revealed on 7 scales. The HDHR group exceeded the other 2 groups, but the LDHR group also exceeded the LR group on several scales. These findings support the need to more finely characterize familial alcoholism risk than is provided by the typical high-risk-low-risk dichotomy. Finally, statistically controlling for normal variations in response style reduced the number of group differences, although the same patterns persisted.