Parental history of alcoholism and probability of marriage

Personal interview data for 16,795 U.S. adults 18-39 years of age were analyzed to assess the effect of positive parental history of alcoholism on the probability of ever having been married. The data were collected as part of the 1988 National Health Interview Survey. The effects of parental history were estimated using logistic regression models that adjusted for age, race, gender, and respondent history of alcohol problems. Nonblack adults who lived with one or more alcoholic parents when growing up were 50% more likely ever to have been married than those with no parental history. The effect was of the same magnitude regardless of whether the alcoholic parent was the mother or the father, but was larger if both parents were reported to be alcoholics. Among blacks, positive parental history of alcoholism did not affect the odds of marriage. The greater likelihood of early marriage among children of alcoholics may help explain their excess risk of marital disruption.