Does Parental Alcohol Use Influence Children’s Age at First Alcohol Intake? A Retrospective Study of Patients with Alcohol Dependence

Parental alcohol misuse has detrimental effects on the entire family. In particular, the safety and general health of the children of parents with alcohol abuse/dependence are of concern to health authorities around the globe. The present study aimed to examine the impact of parental history of alcohol abuse/dependence on the age of first alcohol intake in adult patients with alcohol dependence. Questionnaire data were collected from 294 (57 females) patients with alcohol dependence (M ± SD, 42 ± 10.96 years). The majority of males (61.2%) and over half (50.9%) of females reported no history of parental alcohol abuse/dependence. Male patients with alcohol dependence were less likely to report living with both parents with alcohol abuse/dependence than female patients with alcohol abuse/dependence (p < 0.05). However, male patients who lived with both parents with alcohol abuse/dependence were younger at first alcohol intake than their female counterparts (median age: 12.00 vs. 18.00, p = 0.002) and males raised by parents without alcohol abuse/dependence (median age: 12.00 vs. 16.00, p = 0.036). Our findings suggest that age at first alcohol intake may serve as a marker of household dysfunction, including poor parental management. Our study supports the global need for systemic interventions to help alcohol abusing/dependent parents to carry out their parental responsibilities.

Sociocultural Determinants of Alcohol Abuse by Youths in Luanda Sub-county, Vihiga County, Kenya

The WHO (2014a) indicates that 3.3 million deaths (5.9%) of all global deaths annually are attributable to alcohol abuse; with 5.1% of the global burden of disease and injury attributable to alcohol abuse. Alcohol is the most abused substance with the most affected persons being youth. In Kenya, prevalence of alcohol abuse by youths aged 18-35 years was 17.6% against the national average of the general populace which is at 13.6%. In the year 2017 Luanda sub-county recorded 635 reported cases of alcohol abuse with the administrators. Of the 635 reported cases in Luanda, 71 (11.18%) cases were of under 18 years, 192 (30.24%) were elderly (above 35 years) while 372 (58.58%) were aged 18-35 years. The objective of this study was to assess parental, peer, spousal and cultural influences of alcohol abuse by youths in Luanda Sub-county. A total of 422 respondents derived using Fischer’s formula were involved. Multi-stage sampling was done at sub-locations, villages and households to obtain respondents. Questionnaires featuring Audit tool score and Focus Group Discussions were used to collect data. Odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was employed to determine the likelihood of alcohol abuse. Qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis method. The socio-cultural factors associated with alcohol abuse were: parental alcohol use (p=0.000), peer influence (p =0.000), spousal alcohol use (p=0.035). The multivariate analysis showed significant association between alcohol abuse and spousal alcohol use (p=0.035 OR =0.462 [0.223 -0.955]), parental use of alcohol (p=0.000 OR=28.667 [15.516-52.965]) and peers (p=0.000 OR=10.012 [3.424-29.273]).

The relationship of socioeconomic status in childhood and adulthood with compassion: A study with a prospective 32-year follow-up

The objective of this study was to investigate (i) whether childhood family SES predicts offspring’s compassion between ages 20–50 years and (ii) whether adulthood SES predicts compassion or vice versa. We used the prospective population-based Young Finns data (N = 637–2300). Childhood family SES was evaluated in 1980; participants’ adulthood SES in 2001 and 2011; and compassion for others in 1997, 2001, and 2012. Compassion for others was evaluated with the Compassion scale of the Temperament and Character Inventory. The results showed that high childhood family SES (a composite score of educational level, occupational status, unemployment status, and level of income) predicted offspring’s higher compassion between ages 30–40 years but not in early adulthood or middle age. These results were obtained independently of a variety of potential confounders (disruptive behavior in childhood; parental mental disorder; frequency of parental alcohol use and alcohol intoxication). Moreover, high compassion for others in adulthood (a composite score of educational level, occupational status, and unemployment status) predicted higher adulthood SES later in their life (after a 10-year follow-up), but not vice versa. In conclusion, favorable socioeconomic environment in childhood appears to have a positive effect on offspring’s compassion in their middle adulthood. This effect may attenuate by middle age. High compassion for others seems to promote the achievement of higher SES in adulthood.