Childhood antecedents of antisocial behavior: parental alcoholism and physical abusiveness.

Hierarchical logistic regression was used to assess the independent and interactive effects of paternal alcoholism and physical child abuse on antisocial behavior in young adult men. Men with alcoholic fathers (N = 131) did not report or exhibit more antisocial behavior than comparison subjects (N = 70). Men with physical abuse histories, however, reported more aggressive and antisocial behaviors during a clinical interview and were rated by a clinical interviewer as more likely to act out aggression. Arrest records did not distinguish the groups. There was no evidence that paternal alcoholism and childhood victimization interacted to increase the risk of antisocial behavior.