Expressions of disinhibited child behavior, variously referred to as “difficult temperament,” “behavioral disinhibition,” or “behavioral undercontrol,” have figured prominently in the alcoholism literature as potential mediators of genetic risk that are measurable in childhood (Sher et al., 1999; Tarter and Vanyukov, 1994; Zucker, 2006; Zucker and Gomberg, 1986). Impulsivity, novelty seeking, inattention, hyperactivity, and under-socialized behaviors such as aggression and conduct problems are commonly studied as indicators of this construct. These correlated behaviors have demonstrated heritability (Price et al., 2001; Rose et al., 1997; Slutske et al., 1997), they are more common among children of alcoholics than among children of non-alcoholics (Carbonneau et al., 1998; Chassin et al., 1991; Jester et al., 2005), and they predict adolescent alcohol use and adult alcoholism (Caspi et al., 1996; Fergusson et al., 1995; Masse and Tremblay, 1997; Nigg et al., 2006). Moreover, they are potentially indicative of underlying genetic influences common to the early onset and highly heritable form of alcoholism typically associated with chronicity and antisociality (Dick et al., 2008; Iacono et al., 1999; Zucker et al., 1995). Broadly speaking, disinhibited child behavior is an excellent candidate for the phenotypic expression of inherited alcoholism risk in childhood (Windle and Davies, 1999).
