Alcohol Use, Social Support, and Cognitive Performance in Children of Parents with Mood Disorders

Alcohol use and perceived social support are both predictors of cognitive performance in adolescents. However, it is unclear how these predictors influence cognitive performance in adolescents who have a parent with a mood disorder. The objective of the study is to better understand these predictors in the offspring of parents with mood disorders, in order to improve future interventions to enhance cognitive performance in high-risk offspring. Hypotheses posited a negative association between alcohol use and cognitive performance, a positive association between perceived social support and cognitive performance, and the idea that social support would attenuate alcohol's negative impact on cognition. This observational study had a cross-sectional design. The study included 104 participants with an age range of 13 to 25 years old. It was known that 57 participants had a parent with a mood disorder, which were called the ‘high-risk’ sample. At the time of the study, it was still...Show moreAlcohol use and perceived social support are both predictors of cognitive performance in adolescents. However, it is unclear how these predictors influence cognitive performance in adolescents who have a parent with a mood disorder. The objective of the study is to better understand these predictors in the offspring of parents with mood disorders, in order to improve future interventions to enhance cognitive performance in high-risk offspring. Hypotheses posited a negative association between alcohol use and cognitive performance, a positive association between perceived social support and cognitive performance, and the idea that social support would attenuate alcohol's negative impact on cognition. This observational study had a cross-sectional design. The study included 104 participants with an age range of 13 to 25 years old. It was known that 57 participants had a parent with a mood disorder, which were called the ‘high-risk’ sample. At the time of the study, it was still unknown if the remaining participants had a parent with a mood disorder or not. Therefore, all hypotheses were tested for the whole group and a sensitivity analysis was conducted as well, comprising the high-risk sample. Cognitive performance was measured with a subtask from the WISC-V and WAIS-IV. Alcohol use and perceived social support were measured using self-report questionnaires. Three hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed to assess all three hypotheses in the whole sample and in the high-risk sample. In the whole sample, our results showed no significant association between alcohol use and cognitive performance, no significant association between perceived social support and cognitive performance, and a higher perceived social support did not attenuate the effect alcohol use had on cognitive performance. Subsequently, we also conducted the sensitivity analysis and our results showed no significant associations in all three hierarchical multiple regressions as well. This means that the current study did not find evidence that alcohol use and perceived social support are associated with cognitive performance in high-risk offspring. This inconclusive evidence implicates the need for thorough methodology and design set-up when researching predictors of cognitive performance.Show less

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Alcohol Use, Social Support, and Cognitive Performance in Children of Parents with Mood Disorders