PW01-244 - A retrospective sibling study of childhood adjustment in adults with substance use disorders

Aim: To retrospectively identify differences in antisocial and delinquent behavior between siblings discordant for serious substance use disorders. Background: Research has suggested that people who develop serious substance use disorders have delinquent traits as children prior to using any illicit drugs. Method: A retrospective survey was conducted of 50 pairs of adult siblings who were discordant for serious substance use disorders. The self-report early delinquency scale (SRED) was used to retrospectively assess delinquent traits in childhood and adolescence. Results: The mean SRED 29 (illegal item) score in treatment seeking opiate dependent people (mean age= 33.5 years) was 19.6 (SE=0.9) compared to 4.8 (SE=0.6) in same sex, non-substance dependent siblings (p< 0.0001; paired Wilcoxon test). The mean SRED 58 (norm violation) score in treatment seeking opiate dependent people was 36.8 (SE=1.7) compared to 10.5 (SE=1.4) in same sex siblings (p< 0.0001; paired Wilcoxon test). 40% of patients were expelled from school compared to 12% of siblings (Yates-corrected Chi2 = 8.78; p = 0.003). 96% of patients reported problems with the police as adolescence compared to 48% of controls (Yates-corrected Chi2 = 26.24; p < 0.0001). Police problems in substance users pre-dated first use of illicit substances by 5.5 years. Conclusion: The study used a validated instrument and objective reports to confirm significantly higher rates of delinquent behavior and social dysfunction in childhood for substance users compared to non-substance dependent siblings. The delinquent behaviors usually predated serious substance misuse. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]