Familial transmission of alcohol use, III. Impact of imitation non-imitation of parent alcohol use (1960) on the sensible/problem drinking of their offspring (1977)

Imitation/non-imitation by adult offspring of alcohol-related parent behavior was examined in the context of the fall-off effect’ and of sensible/problem alcohol use, two processes which tend to constrain drinking. Evidence indicates there is more imitation by adult offspring of abstemious parents (both abstainer and low volume) than of high volume parents. Adult offspring drink significantly less, on the average, than their high volume parents, a phenomenon here termed‘fall-off effect’ for both men and women with respect to either their fathers or mothers. This fall-off among social drinkers appears when the mother approaches or the father consumes at or more than a typical daily drinking level (≥1 drink per day). More sensible drinking occurs among adult offspring when (I) the parent has no drinking problem-signs than when the parent has drinking problems (this pattern appears at all levels of offspring consumption), and (2) when parents drink at high volume and have no problems for those offspring who do not imitate parent volume. Drinking “sensibly’ appears to be associated directly with the level of parent alcohol use and offsprings’ own drinking levels (considered as imitation or non-imitation of parents), and indirectly with offspring recall of problematic intake by parents. Drinking sensibly is a medical, education and public health issue.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72393/1/j.1360-0443.1990.tb03439.x.pd

Familial transmission of alcohol use: V. Drinking patterns among spouses, Tecumseh, Michigan

This study examined concordance and discordance of self-reported alcohol consumption in 184 spouse pairs drawn from a representative sample of the Tecumseh, MI community. A significant association (tau B=.57, p <.001) between self-reported alcohol consumption of husbands and that of wives was observed. Drinking daily and high maximum drinking were also significantly correlated between spouses, as were church attendance, smoking, impulsivity, and sociability. A significant association between the drinking of wives and that of their mothers-in-law was noted. The relationship between husbands' drinking and that of their fathers-in-law was marginally significant. However, three-quarters of daughters of heavy-drinking fathers (21 of 28) married abstemious men (never drank or drank lightly), while only 7% married heavy-drinking husbands. These findings lend support to the idea that a network of familial influences—both primary and secondary assortative mating—contributes to regulating adult drinking behavior.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44107/1/10519_2005_Article_BF01066793.pd

Recalled treatment by parents among college males and blood pressure- levels vs. variability

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/31972/1/0000014.pd

A family set method for estimating heredity and stress--II : Preliminary results of the genetic methodology in a pilot survey of Negro blood pressure, Detroit, 1966-1967

A prior article described in detail a pilot survey designed to measure the effects of heredity and stress on blood pressures among Negroes residing in high and low stress census tracts in Detroit. This report outlines the construction of a genetic variable to analyze the heritable component in blood pressure variability using a family set composed of an index and spouse, a sibling and a first cousin of index, and an unrelated person in the tract matched to index. Given the theoretical proportions describing the degree to which genes are shared between siblings and first cousins, then it follows that variability of a given trait will increase predictably within each family set. Findings from a limited sample of 56 family sets indicate support for a genetic distance scale when measured against variables such as height and skin color; however, the relationship with blood pressure levels is inconclusive. A study now underway will more critically test the tentative findings from this pilot survey.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/32721/1/0000089.pd

The intrafamilial transmission of rheumatoid arthritis--VIII : Summary of findings

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/32911/1/0000291.pd

A family set method for estimating heredity and stress--I : A pilot survey of blood pressure among Negroes in high and low stress areas, Detroit, 1966-1967

A pilot survey designed to test the feasibility of measuring genetic and stress variables as they relate to blood pressure levels was carried out among Negroes residing in high and low stress census tracts in Detroit, 1966-1967. Fifty-six "family sets" or 280 persons were interviewed and blood pressure recordings were taken by trained nurses. Each family set was composed of an index, a spouse, a sibling and a first cousin of index, and an unrelated person in the census tract matched to index. The method and findings of obtaining such family sets is discussed and found to be encouraging enough to initiate a larger study. It was also found that proportions of persons with hypertensive levels were significantly greater in the high stress tract (32 per cent; N = 102) than in the low stress tract (19 per cent; N = 113).Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/32720/1/0000088.pd

The intrafamilial transmission of rheumatoid arthritis: An unusual study

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/32903/1/0000283.pd

The intrafamilial transmission of rheumatoid arthritis--I : Design of the study

A sampling of 49 family clusters consisting of a key person with arthritis, his spouse, a sibling and the sibling's spouse, 2 cousins and an unrelated individual have been interviewed 3 times with regard to their arthritis and a variety of social and psychological factors. The sample has been drawn in part from a national random sample and in part from an arthritis clinic. The two subsamples have been found sufficiently homogeneous for combination and some of the strengths and limitations of the design have been discussed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/32904/1/0000284.pd

The intrafamilial transmission of rheumatoid arthritis--IV : Recalled parent-child relations by rheumatoid arthritics and controls

The study is based on data from three survey interviews, taken four months apart, on adults over 30 yr old. Subjects were drawn both from a National sample of the United States and a Clinic sample in Ann Arbor. The results indicate that females with rheumatoid arthritis, in contrast to controls without RA, reported mothers who were more arbitrary in authority, and toward whom the daughter felt more covert hostility but showed less overt aggressiveness. Nevertheless, RA females rated their mothers as strong role models as did the non-RA women. No such differences with the father were evident. Female RA's also showed the lowest childhood self-esteem score, compared to female controls and males. By contrast, RA males reported a more positive image of the mother toward whom less covert hostility was felt. No such differences in the father-child relations were seen.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/32907/1/0000287.pd

The intrafamilial transmission of rheumatoid arthritis--II : An interview measure of rheumatoid arthritis

Our conclusion is that we have a very usable instrument in the 4-point RA measure, and that if our assumptions are correct, the associations to be presented in subsequent papers are just as true as if the respondents had been examined by a physician equipped with X-ray and laboratory facilities. In some senses this is an affirmation of the medical dictum that the history is by all odds the most important part of a medical evaluation.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/32905/1/0000285.pd