Parental Alcohol Use as a Risk Factor for Increased Antisocial Behavior from Adolescence to Young Adulthood

Background: Parental alcohol use has been associated with the development of antisocial behavior in children and adolescents. However, little is known about the mechanisms through which parental alcohol use may impact antisocial behavior development. In this study, we explored mechanisms through which parent alcohol use during adolescence may impact the development of antisocial behavior from adolescence into adulthood. Objectives: We investigated whether parental monitoring during adolescence (ages 16-17), observed family conflict during adolescence, or young adult alcohol use (ages 21-22), mediated the relationship between parent alcohol during adolescence and antisocial behavior in adulthood (ages 26-30). We completed a secondary data analysis using a longitudinal, community-based sample of families in the Northwestern United States (n = 998; target children were 42% White, 29% Black, 2% Native American, 7% Hispanic or Latinx, 5% Asian American, 1% Pacific Islander, and 53% male; data collection was conducted from 1996 to 2017). Using observational and survey data, we ran a series of mediation models to examine three hypothesized mechanisms. Results: Our findings supported a relationship between parental alcohol use during adolescence and adult antisocial behavior ten years later. Parental monitoring and family conflict during adolescence did not serve as mediators. Young adult alcohol use significantly mediated the relationship between parent alcohol use during adolescence and adult antisocial behavior. Conclusions: Our findings support young adult alcohol use as a mechanism through which parent alcohol use during adolescence is associated with adult antisocial behavior. These results highlight the potential impact of parent alcohol use well into adulthood and offer implications for targeted preventive interventions.