The AUD criterion items associated with this form of denial in probands were also evaluated in the 176 AUD offspring. In contrast to probands, deniers in the younger generation evidenced lower proportions who endorsed almost all DSM-IV AUD criteria, including the four items predicted in Hypothesis 5. The only predicted criterion that added significantly to the AUD offspring’s regression equation in Table 4 was giving up important of activities due to alcohol (D6), and this did not contribute significantly to the regression analysis for probands in Table 2. It is not possible to determine whether the difference across the generations regarding specific DSM criteria that related to denial are artifacts of the larger sample of offspring, age differences across the generations, or cohort differences in the cultures in which they live. However, it is important to emphasize that regression analyses in both generations indicated that denial was related to a lower degree of both alcohol and drug use and problems. Regarding the latter, adverse consequences related to other drugs might increase a person’s awareness of potential problems with alcohol.
