Pathways of family influence: Alcohol use and disordered eating in daughters

• Evaluated distal and proximal risk factors for addiction-related coping behaviors
• Family dynamics directly related to parental addiction-related coping behaviors
• Family dynamics indirectly related to addiction-related coping behaviors
• Perceived parental alcohol problems best predicted problematic alcohol use
• Perceived parental emphasis on appearance best predicted disordered eating

Models of addiction etiology and treatment emphasize the influence of family-of-origin experiences. Using two addiction-related coping behaviors (ARCBs) common among college women (i.e., problematic alcohol use, disordered eating), we examined whether ARCBs in parents related to matching ARCBs in college women offspring. We expected that matching parental ARCBs would relate more strongly to the ARCBs in offspring than more distal/general family factors. A total of 197 college women completed measures of family dynamics, parental difficulties with alcohol, family focus on appearance and weight, personal difficulties with alcohol use, and disordered eating. A significant indirect effect for family dysfunction on disordered eating and alcohol-related problems was found. That is, family relationship difficulties predicted parents' ARCBs, which predicted matching ARCBs in participants (e.g., parental alcohol problems predicted participant alcohol problems). Matched parental ARCBs were better predictors of participants' ARCBs than more general/distal family factors and non-matched ARCBs. Specifically, path analysis and testing of beta weights supported specificity of parental ARCBs for predicting matching offspring ARCBs. Implications of study findings for tailoring prevention efforts are discussed.