Maternal and paternal alcohol abuse or at-risk drinking was associated with moderately higher levels of attention and conduct problems, both at the crude level and when demography and the other parent's consumption was controlled for. There seems to be a dose-response trend, as the at-risk groups consistently scored between abusers and light drinkers on these outcomes. Heavy drinking in the parents did not predict dissatisfaction with school in general or with academic results in any of the analyses, even though this study has high power. Parental alcohol use predicted poor adjustment only on the impulse control-related dimensions attention and conduct. It is not surprising that we find associations with these dimensions. Children of alcoholics have previously been found to have elevated risks for attention and conduct problems [7,18] and the related diagnoses ADHD [15] and conduct disorder [16]. Previous studies show strong genetic components in the link between externalizing behaviour in parents and the children, such as parental drinking and behavioural control in the offspring [15,16]. Also, social strains such as negative life events, family conflict or dysfunction, disruption of
