Alcoholism in men patients subtyped by family history and antisocial personality.

Alcoholism is known to be a familial disorder and the presence of a family history of alcoholism is recognized as an important variable in alcoholism research. The course and consequences of alcoholism in a group of men alcoholics are examined in relation to family pedigree for alcoholism. Consideration was also given to antisocial personality, a variable that may underlie and contribute to a positive family history of alcoholism. The presence of antisocial personality affected the course of alcoholism to a greater extent than having a positive pedigree for alcoholism. On the other hand, having a pedigree positive for alcoholism was more important in explaining the consequences of alcohol misuse than antisocial personality. The theoretical and methodological implications of these findings for future research are discussed.