Mate similarity, heavy substance use and family history of problem drinking among young adult women

Objective: This study used data from a national sample of young adult women to evaluate issues about spousal similarity for problem drinking. Paternal and maternal problem drinking were also evaluated in regard to daughters' marriage to a problem drinking spouse, and daughters' problem drinking and substance use. Method: Data from over 5,000 young adult women (ages 23-30 yrs) from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) archive were used to evaluate associations between marrying a problem-drinking spouse, family history of problem drinking, and women's problem drinking and lifetime marijuana and cocaine use. Results: Findings indicated that black women were less likely to many a problem-drinking spouse than were Hispanic, Native American or white women. Problem-drinking women were twice as likely to have married a problem-drinking spouse than were nondrinking women, and heavier lifetime marijuana or cocaine use by women was also associated with an almost twofold increase in marrying a problem-drinking spouse. Random effects ordinal probit regression models indicated that, while controlling for major sociodemographic variables (e.g., race, poverty status), maternal, paternal and spousal problem drinking all significantly predicted problem drinking and heavier levels of substance use among the women. Conclusions: Nonrandom matching of problem drinking among marital partners was indicated in this study and women's problem drinking and substance use practices were predicted by paternal, maternal and spousal problem drinking. The similarity of problem-drinking spouses was not constant across racial/ethnic groups, as black women were less likely to many a problem-drinking spouse, though racial differences in the age of onset of heavier drinking may have influenced this finding.