In the present study, we employed an OOT design to examine associations between parental separation and offspring alcohol involvement, over and above genetic and environmental risks specific to parental alcohol, cannabis, and other illicit drug dependence. Following Sartor et al. (2007), we examined both onset of alcohol use and time to alcohol dependence from first use. We also examined time to first AD symptom from first use, which has yet to be examined. Additionally, a time-varying measure of parental separation was modeled to ensure onset of separation prior to alcohol involvement, consistent with Waldron et al. (2014a). Based on prior findings, we hypothesized that parental separation would remain a significant predictor of timing of alcohol use and timing of transition from use to first AD symptom and AD diagnosis.
