Impulsive Sensation Seeking, Parental History of Alcohol Problems, and Current Alcohol and Tobacco Use in Adolescents

Objectives: This study attempted to evaluate whether impulsive sensation seeking mediated the relationship between parental alcohol problems and offspring alcohol and tobacco use. Methods: Participants were Connecticut high school students (n = 2733) completing a survey of high-risk behaviors. Variables of interest included past month alcohol use, past month binge alcohol use, frequency of past month alcohol use, past month tobacco use, having a biologic parent with an alcohol problem, and score on the Impulsive Sensation Seeking scale (ImpSS) from the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire-Form III. Results: ImpSS scores were elevated in past month users of alcohol, binge users of alcohol, users of both tobacco and alcohol, and they increased with increasing frequency of past month alcohol use. Also, parental history of alcohol use increased the likelihood of past month alcohol use, binge use, use of both tobacco and alcohol, and higher levels of past month alcohol use. Mediational analyses did not seem to support the hypothesis that impulsive sensation seeking mediates the relationship between parental history of alcohol problems and alcohol and tobacco use in offspring. Conclusions: Impulsive sensation seeking and parental history of alcohol problems seem to be independent factors that contribute to the co-occurrence of alcohol and tobacco use in adolescents. These findings can inform prevention and treatment efforts.