Psychopathology in preadolescent sons of fathers with substance use disorders

While preadolescent children of parents with substance use disorders (SUDs) are known to have more behavior problems, depression, and anxiety than expected, psychiatric disorders in these children and their relationships with parental disorders have not been systematically investigated. This study compares the psychiatric disorders of preadolescent boys of fathers with and without SUDs and examines the relationships between offspring and parental psychopathology.

Fathers (i.e., probands) of boys 10 through 12 years old were recruited to represent families of boys with paternal SUD (high risk or HR: n = 113) and boys without paternal SUD (low average risk or LAR: n = 170). These boys (i.e., index cases) and their biological parents participated in structured diagnostic interviews, and diagnoses were determined by the best-estimate method.

Disruptive behavior disorders and anxiety disorders were more prevalent in HR than in LAR index cases. Logistic regression analyses examining the relationships between parental and index case psychopathology indicated that parental childhood psychiatric disorders were more strongly predictive of index case psychiatric disorders than parental adulthood psychiatric disorders, including SUDs.

Inasmuch as HR boys had increased rates of disruptive behavior disorders and anxiety disorders, these disorders may be important targets for early intervention to prevent the development of SUD, as well as the morbidity associated with these disorders. Prevention efforts and studies of the transmission of liability for psychiatric disorders in children should carefully consider parental childhood characteristics.