Disaggregating within- and between-person associations to test the aversive transmission of alcohol use in late adolescence through adulthood.

Objective: The theory of aversive transmission posits that children of parents who have an alcohol use disorder (AUD) may abstain or limit their own alcohol use because they believe themselves to be at risk of developing problems with alcohol. The present study examined relationships among parental AUD, perceived parental AUD, perceived risk for AUD, addiction avoidance reasons for limiting alcohol use, and alcohol use using a random intercept cross-lagged panel model.

Method: Participants (N = 805; 48% female; 28% Latinx) were from a longitudinal study investigating intergenerational transmission of AUD. Parental AUD, perceived parental AUD, perceived risk for AUD, addiction avoidance reasons for limiting alcohol use, and alcohol use (quantity, frequency, and frequency of heavy drinking) were measured every 5 years from late adolescence (Mage = 20) to adulthood (Mage = 32). Random intercept cross-lagged panel models tested whether there were stable between-person relations or time-varying within-person relations among these variables.

Results: At the between-person level, perceived parental AUD predicted greater addiction avoidance reasons for limiting alcohol use and greater perceived risk. Those with greater addiction avoidance reasons for limiting alcohol use were less likely to use any alcohol and drank less frequently. Parental AUD was associated with higher levels of alcohol use as well as perceived risk. No consistent cross-lagged paths were found at the within-person level.

Conclusions: Study findings were at the between-person level rather than the within-person level. Future work on aversive transmission is needed to better understand this subgroup of children of parents with AUD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).