Objective: To assess the risk for alcohol abuse among individuals with a positive family history of alcohol abuse (FH+).
Material and methods: The study population was a sample (n = 8,890) drawn from a 1988 national survey on addictions in Mexico City's urban population. Data analysis consisted of frequency and association measures, using family history of alcohol abuse as the exposure factor.
Results: Prevalence of heavy drinking was 13.7% for males and 0.6% for females. Alcohol dependence syndrome was found in 9.9% of males and 0.6% of females. Men with HF+ were twice more likely to develop dependence syndrome than HF- males. The odds ratio for women was 1.27.
Conclusions: Differential patterns by gender were found for familial transmission of alcohol abuse; parental alcohol intake is a main risk factor for developing alcohol dependence syndrome.