Data are from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA), a multi-site, high-risk family study of alcohol dependence for which probands (individuals with AUD who serve as the “starting point” in the family for studying various disorders and symptomologies in COGA) were recruited from treatment facilities and their family members were also invited to participate between 1990 and 2018 (Nurnberger et al., 2004; Reich, 1996). Relatives of probands, rather than probands, were included so that individuals with AUD who never sought treatment could be included in the analyses. Participants of another race / ethnicity (Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, other) made up 4.26% of the sample size and due to low power, were removed from the sample (de Vaus, 2002). Participants in the current sample were 4,405 relatives of probands (female = 45.09%; white = 80.02%, black = 19.98%; see Table 1 for full demographic information). All participants met lifetime diagnostic criteria for DSM-5 AUD (American Psychological Association, 2013) and were born during the years 1928–1996, encompassing the silent generation (b. 1928–1945), baby boomers (b. 1946–1964), generation X (b. 1965–1980) and the millennial generation (b. 1981–1996) (Pew Research Center, 2015).
