Lack of Emotional Support from Parents Early in Life and Alcohol Abuse Later in Life

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the association between lacking emotional support from parents early in life and adult alcohol abuse. A series of logistic regression models were run with data collected from a nationally representative sample of over 2,500 adults ages 25–74. The findings reveal a linear relationship between level of deficiency in early maternal support and odds of alcohol abuse during adulthood, with even moderate deficiencies being associated with elevated risk. Further examination suggests that this association persists throughout adulthood. This association does not appear to be explained by the early initiation of alcohol use, but poor psychological well-being during adulthood does account for a large portion of this association. These findings expand our understanding of the risks associated with poor parental support during childhood, and underscore the importance of adopting a life course perspective in studying the social determinants of alcohol problems among adults.

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