Antisocial behavior, family history, and alcohol dependence symptoms.

Drawing on data from the National Longitudinal Survey of young adults, this study examines the effects of antisocial behavior on alcohol dependence among young men and women in the United States. An analysis of the data from the study indicates that there are effects of antisocial behavior and that these effects cannot be attributed to a lower social class family of origin or to a positive family history of alcoholism. The analysis also indicates that the strongest effects are found among young adults with both antisocial behavior and a positive family history.