As an additional test of the association between AFD and the incidence of AUD, reduced models were estimated for a population of low-risk drinkers (data not shown). Because this population consisted of small numbers of individuals who initiated drinking at ages <15 (n=45) and ages 15-17 (n=185), these two groups were combined to reflect initiation of drinking before age 18. Relative to initiation of drinking at 18 or older, the resulting OR for incidence of dependence (OR = 3.79, p=.001) was far greater than the comparable OR for the total population, and it no longer demonstrated a significant interaction with gender. In contrast, the OR for incidence of alcohol abuse in the population of low-risk drinkers was reduced in magnitude and no longer statistically significant (OR = 1.11, p = .835). Reflecting the nature of the low-risk population, some of the more severe AUD criteria had incidence rates too low to estimate their associations with AFD. Of those criteria that could be examined, the only one for which there was an increased risk associated with AFD <18 was continued drinking despite physical/psychological problems caused by drinking (OR = 2.71, p=.021).
