Exposure to parental problem drinking during adolescence and symptoms of depression and anxiety in young adulthood: A Swedish national cohort study

Introduction

Previous research has shown associations between parental problem drinking and adverse mental health outcomes in children. However, while many studies assess parental alcohol problems based on clinical measures, longitudinal studies that investigate the impact of potentially less severe levels of parental alcohol problems are scarce. The aim of this study was to examine if the existence and severity of child-reported parental problem drinking in adolescence is associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety in young adult men and women.

Methods

Data was obtained from the Swedish national cohort study Futura01, including 3143 participants born in 2001 who were surveyed in 2017 (age 15–16) and 2022 (age 20–21). Parental problem drinking was measured at age 15–16 with the short version of The Children of Alcoholics Screening Test. Depression and anxiety symptoms were measured at age 20–21 with the Patient Health Questionnaire-4. Registry information on gender, parental education and parental country of birth were included as covariates.

Results

The results demonstrated an exposure-response pattern, with greater severity of parental problem drinking associated with an increased probability of reporting depression and anxiety symptoms 5 years later. The association between parental problem drinking and subsequent depression symptoms was however present only in females.

Discussion and Conclusions

Adolescents exposed to parental problem drinking have elevated risks of long-term adverse mental health. These risks increase with greater severity of parental problem drinking. It is thus crucial with efforts preventing parental problem drinking and efforts promoting health among children and adolescents who are exposed.