that the externalizing diagnosis of conduct disorder was the sole common risk factor for both transitions, while the internalizing disorder Generalized Anxiety Disorder was related to progression to alcohol dependence but not to initiation. Still, not all offspring had passed through the period of highest risk by the time of analysis, making it likely that not all cases of alcohol dependence had occurred. In studying the influence of parental divorce/separation on 3 stages of alcohol involvement, Grant et al. (2015) included many covariates that were reported in supplemental tables but not discussed in the paper. Our examination of those tables revealed that conduct disorder was associated with a higher risk for all 3 transitions, while internalizing disorders were related to the transition to disorder but not to initiation or to an AUD problem. In summary, the findings across studies to date suggest that risk factors differ across stages of alcohol involvement, that parental AUD may promote transition to the later but not to the early stages, and that distinguishing paternal from maternal AUD influences is important. In short, these findings support stage-specific study of AUD development.
