The parent interview was a modified version of the SSAGA (Semi-Structured Assessment of the Genetics of Alcoholism; Bucholz et al., 1994), which was developed for the Collaborative Study of the Genetics of Alcoholism and is a comprehensive psychiatric interview used to assess physical, psychological, social, and psychiatric manifestations of alcohol abuse/dependence and related psychiatric disorders in adults. Modifications were made to the SSAGA to incorporate DSM-IV (APA, 2000) criteria as well as to adapt it for telephone use (see Bucholz et al., 1994 and Hesselbrock et al., 1999 for reliability and validity data on the SSAGA). Parents (typically mothers) were asked to report about a wide range of behaviors in the twins, including ADHD, as well as about their own history of alcohol abuse/dependence and history of regular smoking. In addition, they provided information, using the Family History Assessment Module (FHAM; Rice et al., 1995), about their partner’s history of alcohol problems. Mothers only were asked questions about their own smoking and drinking patterns during the pregnancy with the twins; hence, analyses reported here are limited to families with maternal interview data. The diagnoses of DSM-IV alcohol abuse (mothers only) and dependence in the parents were assigned by computer algorithm.
