In considering the above findings, both strengths and limitations should be considered. First, concerning limitations, the NESARC is based on respondent self-report which can be affected by recall bias and social desirability. However, measures were of the type commonly used in large epidemiological studies, and the NESARC employed a carefully-structured interview to assess aspects of clinical history that agreed well with psychiatrist evaluations (Canino et al., 1999). Second, DSM-IV diagnoses and specific historical criteria for parental alcohol and other disorders (e.g., age of onset and remission) were not obtained. However, the AUDADIS-IV structured interview has shown good to excellent reliability and validity for parental family history measures (Grant et al., 1995; 2003; Hasin et al., 1997). Third, because childhood or adolescent parental divorce and permanent separation were covered in a combined question, any difference in effects of legal divorce compared to permanent separation cannot be determined. While such differences are likely to be small when the event occurs during early childhood (an age when respondents could not understand the legal difference), parental divorce and separation may need to be addressed
