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Risk for alcoholism, antisocial behavior, and response perseveration
P R Giancola1, J B Peterson, R O Pihl
1McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Journal of Clinical Psychology
|May 1, 1993
Summary
Men with a family history of alcoholism showed increased risk-taking behavior on a card task. However, they did not exhibit higher levels of antisocial personality traits, suggesting other factors may be involved.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Genetics
Background:
- Alcoholism and antisocial personality (ASP) share a known association.
- Familial history of alcoholism may influence behavioral patterns.
- Previous research links specific card tasks to antisocial populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if nonalcoholic men with a multigenerational family history (MGH) of alcoholism exhibit increased risk-taking.
- To determine if MGH subjects display more ASP traits compared to controls.
- To explore potential underlying mechanisms for observed behavioral differences.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 28 male subjects: 14 with MGH of alcoholism and 14 family history negative (FH-).
- Administered a card task known to differentiate antisocial individuals.
- Utilized the Self-Report Psychopathy scale and California Psychological Inventory (Socialization scale).
Main Results:
- MGH subjects played significantly more cards than FH- subjects, indicating higher risk-taking.
- No significant differences were found between MGH and FH- groups on ASP questionnaires.
- The findings suggest risk-taking behavior in MGH males may not be solely due to ASP.
Conclusions:
- A multigenerational family history of alcoholism is associated with increased risk-taking behavior in nonalcoholic males.
- Antisocial personality traits did not fully explain this heightened risk-taking.
- Subtle frontal-lobe deficits are proposed as a potential alternative explanation for the observed performance differences.