Alcohol problems were assessed using twelve items from the Short Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (Selzer, Vinokur, & van Rooijen, 1975). Parents indicated whether a series of questions indicative of problem drinking applied to them on a two-point scale, 0 (no) or 1 (yes). Reliabilities (alpha) were 0.67 and .81 for mothers and fathers, respectively. Sum scores were calculated for use in the present analyses. Maternal MAST scores ranged from 0–7 (M = 0.55), and paternal MAST scores ranged from 0–12 (M = 0.98). Forty-six percent of sample only had mother data, 4% only had father data, and <1% were missing data on both parents. When both mother and father data were available (50% of sample), the maximum score was used in analysis. For 32% of these participants, the maximum alcohol problems score was from the father, for 14% the maximum alcohol problems score was from the mother, and for 54% the mother and the father had the same score. Mother and father scores were positively related, although the effect was not significant, τ = .11, p = 0.12. Twenty-six mothers and twenty-six fathers had scores ≥ 3, indicating a probable alcohol problem.
