2014), and substance use disorders (Fergusson, Horwood, & Lynskey, 1994). Given that early use of alcohol is prognostic of a host of adverse outcomes (e.g., Hingson et al., 2000; McGue et al., 2001; Stueve & O’Donnell, 2005; Swahn, Bossarte, & Sullivent, 2008), these findings are notable, but do not resolve whether exposure to the parental divorce/separation itself during childhood – as opposed to exposure to the range of risk factors for early drinking that are associated with growing up in a non-intact family – is a critical life event associated with increased risk of early alcohol use.
