[Healthy young adults with a family history of alcohol dependence: Suicidal ideation, anxiety, and «novelty-seeking»].

Authors

T V Merkulova, N A Chuprova, T A Goretskaya, V E Denisov, Yu L Arzumanov, A O Kibitov

Published in

Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova. Volume 126. Issue 8. Pages 96-103.

Abstract

To investigate the associations between a family history of alcohol dependence (AD) and the mental health disorders and personal traits of healthy young adults.
The study included 95 healthy subjects, with an average age of 20.68±2.45 years, of whom 80.0% were women. The study utilized a self-administered questionnaire that included a comprehensive study map and psychometric scales. Participants were categorized into two groups: individuals without a relevant family history of AD and those with a relevant family history of AD. The latter group was further divided into two subgroups based on the family history: individuals with a moderate family burden of AD (1 relative with AD), designated, and those with a high family burden of AD (2 or more relatives with AD), designated. Comparative analyses were conducted across all study variables.
Several significant associations were identified between a family history of AD, particularly with a high burden, and various psychological and somatic indicators. Notably, there was a correlation between a family history of AD and affective symptoms, specifically the presence and severity of anxiety symptoms (p=0.003) as well as the suicidal ideation (p=0.015), but not attempted suicides. Additionally, a relationship was established with personality traits, particularly the propensity for «novelty-seeking» behaviors (p=0.001), and a potential link to eating disorders. Furthermore, a family history of AD was correlated with general somatic health, including associations with familial obesity (p=0.0002) and overall indicators of physical health.
Future investigations with larger samples are essential to elucidate further the specific impacts of both the presence and grade of a family history of alcohol dependence, serving as a potential marker for the risk of developing mental health and substance use disorders at a preclinical stage.

PMID:
42676205
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 01 Sep 2026.

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