Clinical and behavioral correlates in adult methamphetamine users with childhood exposure to household drug and alcohol use

Aims . To describe and compare methamphetamine (MA) users with and without a family history of alcohol or drug (FAOD) use in the household. Design: A total of 1,144 Thai-speaking MA users in Thailand were recruited for a cohort study. Cross-sectional baseline data were analyzed according to their exposure to FAOD use (FAOD+/FAOD-). The Semi-Structured Assessment for Drug Dependence and Alcoholism (SSADDA) was utilized to collect baseline socio-demographic information and variables known to be associated with the impact of FAOD use. Findings: FAOD+ participants had lower average years of education (p < 0.01), fewer average months of employment in the past year (p < 0.01) and reported higher rates of self-harm experience (p < 0.001), gambling (p = 0.018) and antisocial personality disorder (p = 0.015). FAOD+ participants had more severe clinical, adverse consequences. FAOD+ significantly predicted episodes of lifetime MA use (R-2 = 0.004, p = 0.032), the largest number of drinks ever had in a 24-hour period (MAXDRINKS) (R-2 = 0.01, p = 0.001), paranoid experiences (OR = 1.090, p = 0.004), alcohol dependence (OR = 1.112, p = 0.001) and antisocial personality disorder (OR = 1.139, p = 0.015). FAOD+ participants who were exposed to alcohol only were more likely to report a significantly higher MAXDRINKS (p < 0.005). Similarly, FAOD+ participants who were exposed to MA use only were significantly more likely to report more frequent use of MA (p < 0.005). Conclusions: FAOD+ participants were characterized by a generally more severe clinical presentation than FAOD- participants. Moreover, we show that the specificity of drug type mattered, with family exposure of alcohol and MA associated with greater subsequent use of the respective drugs.