Family history of alcohol dependence in Asian Americans.

A positive family history of alcoholism is one of the most consistent and powerful predictors of developing this disorder. Compared to other ethnic groups, Asian Americans, as a whole, report the lowest prevalence of family history of alcoholism, but differences in rates for Asian American subgroups have not been reported previously. This study assessed first- and second-degree family history of alcohol dependence in two Asian-American subgroups: individuals of Chinese (n = 142) and Korean (n = 152) heritage. As hypothesized, Korean Americans reported higher rates of first-degree family history of alcohol dependence than Chinese Americans. These findings highlight the heterogeneity in vulnerability to alcohol-related problems between Asian subgroups.