Intergenerational relations for drinking motives: invariant for same- and opposite-sex parent-child dyads?

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the similarity or dissimilarity of same-sex (e.g., mother-daughter) and opposite-sex (e.g., mother-son) associations for drinking motives across four pairings of parent-young adult child dyads.
METHOD: Three waves of data spanning approximately 10 years in early to late young adulthood were used in conjunction with mother and father data to examine same-and cross-sex associations for drinking motives. Multiple group structural equation modeling was used to statistically model and evaluate these parent-young adult associations.
RESULTS: Findings indicated strong same-sex intergenerational transmission patterns for mother-daughter dyads relative to father-daughter dyads. The strength of relationships for father-son dyads was also stronger and significantly different than those for father-daughter dyads. There were no statistically significant differences between sex-specific intergenerational patterns for mother-son and father-son dyads or for mother-daughter and mother-son dyads. Although there was some generality and some specificity in the sex-specific intergenerational transmission patterns of drinking motives, when statistically significant, the transmission pattern generalized across all three drinking motives (coping, social, and enhancement).
CONCLUSIONS: Intergenerational factors contributing to alcohol phenotypes may not be limited to the modeling of alcohol use or the occurrence of alcohol disorders but may also include cognitive-motivational systems of affective regulation related to the use of alcohol. Future research would benefit by focusing on how biogenetic and socialization factors contribute to same- and opposite-sex intergenerational patterns and how to use this information to strengthen intervention programs.