Prevalence of Parental Alcohol Problems among a General Population Sample of 28,047 Norwegian Adults: Evidence for a Socioeconomic Gradient

• Main Authors: Siri H. Haugland, Tobias H. Elgán
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-05-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: parental alcohol use; social gradient; Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST-6); prevalence; adult survivors of adverse life events
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/10/5412
• ISSN: 1661-7827; 1660-4601

The aim of the study presented here was to estimate the prevalence of parental alcohol problems during childhood in a general population of Norwegian adults, and to investigate associations between parental alcohol problems during childhood and lower socioeconomic status in adulthood. This cross-sectional study recruited 28,047 adults (≥18 years) to an online health survey (Norwegian Counties Public Health Surveys). We evaluated demographic and socioeconomic measures and responses to a shortened version of the Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST-6) scale to assess whether respondents perceived parental alcohol consumption during childhood as problematic. Respondents reported parental alcohol problems at a rate of 15.6%, but the experience was more prevalent among adults with a low education (20.0%), compared to those with intermediate (16.4%) or high educations (13.8%, <i>χ²</i>(2) = 87.486, <i>p</i> < 0.001), and it was more common among respondents with low economic capabilities (21.1%) compared to those with middle/high capabilities (14.2%, <i>χ²</i>(1) = 162.089, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Parental alcohol problems were most prevalent among respondents that received welfare benefits (24.5%). Multivariable logistic regression analyses revealed associations between parental alcohol problems and low socioeconomic status in adulthood; odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) ranged from 1.33 (1.25–1.42) to 1.89 (1.72–2.06). From a public health perspective, children who grow up with parental alcohol problems should be reached through both universal and selective interventions.