Live Poster Session: Zoom Link
Sam Penn
Sam Penn is a sophomore (’28) at Wesleyan, looking to major in Economics with a minor in Data Analysis. He is passionate about the finance world and staying up to date with current events and politics. He is a member of multiple financial groups on campus, as well as the Wesleyan Men’s Crew Team. In his free time, he enjoys playing poker, lifting, and watching movies with friends.
Abstract: Problematic alcohol use in families is common in the United States, yet its long-term mental health effects on adults are still not fully understood. Prior research shows that growing up with a parent who misuses alcohol is linked to higher rates of anxiety and other internalizing symptoms. Still, most studies rely on adolescent or non-U.S. samples. Much less is known about how these patterns look in a large, nationally representative adult population, or how spousal alcohol problems factor into anxiety outcomes. In this study, data from Wave 1 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions was used to examine whether having a parent or spouse with a history of alcohol problems is associated with generalized anxiety disorder in adulthood. Parental and spousal alcohol misuse were based on self-report, and GAD was determined using DSM symptom criteria based on self-reported questions. It is expected that adults exposed to problematic drinking in close relationships throughout their lives would have higher odds of GAD, and that the strength of the association might differ between parental and spousal relationships. Identifying these patterns could help clarify how alcohol related dysfunction in families shapes anxiety risk across one’s lifespan.
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