Research & Resources

Researchers examined the role paternal alcohol problems and separation, and early alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use play in offspring educational attainment among European American and African American families. The study screened families with children ages 13-19 years to determine high-risk or low-risk status for paternal heavy drinking and analyzed data from 340 African American and 288 European American offspring who were not enrolled in school. In European Americans, neither paternal drinking status nor offspring substance use was associated with educational outcomes. However, paternal separation elevated the likelihood of not completing high school. For African Americans, paternal separation did not significantly reduce the likelihood for high school completion, but early marijuana use and higher levels of paternal alcohol problems did. The study “The Influence of Paternal Separation, Paternal History of Alcohol Use Disorder Risk, and Early Substance Use on Offspring Educational Attainment by Young Adulthood,” is published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism supported this research effort.