Relationship of family history, antisocial personality disorder and personality traits in young men at risk for alcoholism.

Studies examining possible risk factors for the development of alcoholism have focused recently on a variety of personality factors, including those associated with risk-taking behaviors. Alcohol-seeking behavior leading to the abuse of alcohol may be associated with a variety of risk-taking behaviors that derive from certain personality traits. Further, there is evidence that personality traits are transmitted across generations. This study examined the relationship of a family history of alcoholism, antisocial personality disorder (ASP) and alcohol use to several personality traits including the Tri-dimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) in a sample (N = 91) of nonalcoholic, young male volunteers. The men with ASP scored higher than the non-ASP men on the Novelty Seeking Scale of the TPQ, but not on the Harm Avoidance or Reward Dependence subscales. In addition, ASP men scored higher than non-ASP men on a measure of impulsivity and tended to score higher on measures of sensation seeking, psychopathy and monotony avoidance. A family history of alcoholism did not differentiate the young men on any of the childhood behavior problems, personality measures or alcohol-related variables.