The general aims of this research are: (1) to describe and quantify parental influence on adult offspring drinking. We will describe correlates of those subsets of offspring who imitate and those who do not imitate for each parent category of Abstainer, Light, Middle, and Heavier drinkers. (2) to assess the sociodemographic, personality, and mood correlates which might explain changes in imitation and non-imitation of parents over time (17 years) during the adult phase of life. (3) to incorporate the findings of (1) and (2) into an exploratory investigation of the correlates of """"""""healthy users"""""""" of alcohol. This is a secondary analysis of data from the Family Health Project in the Tecumseh Community Health Study. Sample #1 contains 420 offspring interviewed in 1977 where drinking data are also available for both parents in 1960. Sample #2 follows a cohort of 124 offspring interviewed in 1977, for whom we also have 1960 alcohol data and where parents also provided alcohol data in 1960 (N=154 without parent data in 1960). Sample #3 comprises 1,344 persons interviewed in 1977, and which includes past drinker data to be analyzed for the first time in this project. This project will (1) contribute to the development of educational and parenting philosophies and practices which can facilitate the patterning of healthy drinking attitudes and behavior in offspring; (2) contribute knowledge which will be useful in encouraging the healthy and rational use of alcohol; and (3) isolate early and adult influences on adult heavier drinking.
