Abstract
BackgroundAlcohol-use disorders (AUD) in parents are associated with adverse outcomes in offspring. It is less known whether other forms of parental drinking such as binge drinking may also be a risk factor for offspring’s outcomes -- specifically, high school non-completion. MethodsThese questions were examined in a sample of 3101 offspring (Mage = 16.1 , SD = 1.68; 49.5% girls) from 2510 2-parent families who participated in the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study in Norway (HUNT3; Young-HUNT3) in 2006–08 and were followed-up through the National Education Database (NUDB) until 2014.Associations between maternal and paternal binge drinking patterns as reported in HUNT during offspring’s adolescence and offspring’s subsequent high school completion were examined using logistic regression models while accounting for a comprehensive set of socio-demographic, parental, and offspring characteristics as assessed at HUNT baseline. Effect modifications of these putative associations by offspring characteristics were also explored. FindingsApproximately 1 in 6 offspring (13.6% girls, 21.1% boys) failed to graduate high school within the officially designated time period, while roughly 1 in 5 mothers (20.4%) and 1 in 2 fathers (51.2%) reported any binge drinking. Weekly or more frequent binge drinking in fathers was prospectively associated with more than doubled odds of high school non-completion in offspring; OR = 2.23, 95% CI = 1.50–3.31. This effect remained substantively identical after adjustment for all covariates (aOR = 2.20, 95% CI = 1.38–3.50) and uniform across offspring characteristics such as gender, academic orientation and performance, anxiety and depression, typical alcohol consumption, and witnessing parental intoxication as assessed at HUNT baseline. ConclusionsWeekly or more frequent binge drinking in fathers negatively affected high school graduation prospects in their offspring.
Highlights
Offspring of parents affected by alcohol use disorders (AUD) are at greater risk for multiple adverse outcomes, ranging from alcoholrelated, behavioral and mental health problems (Bountress and Chas sin, 2015; Lieb et al, 2002; Sørensen et al, 2011) to poorer school adjustment, performance, and attainment (Berg et al, 2016; Khemiri et al, 2020; McGrath et al, 1999; Sadler et al, 2017; Torvik et al, 2011)
Relatively little is known whether and in what ways parental drinking outside of clinically-diagnosed disorders – including various sub-clinical drinking patterns and binge drinking (Bryant et al, 2019; Lund et al, 2015; McGovern et al, 2018; Rossow et al, 2016) – may influence offspring’s adjustment. Recent studies addressing these questions in community samples demonstrated that even some more common forms of parental alcohol use were associated with a range of negative outcomes and conse quences in offspring, especially when combined with additional risk factors in the family (Bryant et al, 2019; Burdzovic Andreas et al, 2021; Lund et al, 2019; Vermeulen-Smit et al, 2012)
We investigated whether parental drinking other than clinically diagnosed alcohol use disorders – patterns of binge drinking – may be one such risk factor
Summary
Offspring of parents affected by alcohol use disorders (AUD) are at greater risk for multiple adverse outcomes, ranging from alcoholrelated, behavioral and mental health problems (Bountress and Chas sin, 2015; Lieb et al, 2002; Sørensen et al, 2011) to poorer school adjustment, performance, and attainment (Berg et al, 2016; Khemiri et al, 2020; McGrath et al, 1999; Sadler et al, 2017; Torvik et al, 2011). Relatively little is known whether and in what ways parental drinking outside of clinically-diagnosed disorders – including various sub-clinical drinking patterns and binge drinking (Bryant et al, 2019; Lund et al, 2015; McGovern et al, 2018; Rossow et al, 2016) – may influence offspring’s adjustment Recent studies addressing these questions in community samples demonstrated that even some more common forms of parental alcohol use were associated with a range of negative outcomes and conse quences in offspring, especially when combined with additional risk factors in the family (Bryant et al, 2019; Burdzovic Andreas et al, 2021; Lund et al, 2019; Vermeulen-Smit et al, 2012). Conclusions: Weekly or more frequent binge drinking in fathers negatively affected high school graduation prospects in their offspring
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