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Relationship between Familial Alcoholism and Head Injury
Arthur I. Alterman, Ralph E. Tarter
In 76 alcoholic men who were Veterans Administration inpatients, the presence of familial alcoholism was ascertained by means of an investigator-expanded version of the family history section of the Renard Diagnostic Interview. Subjects who had experienced 5 min of unconsciousness resulting from trauma, or at least two periods of unconsciousness or hospitalization as a result of injury were categorized as head injured. Of the familial alcoholics, 60.4% were found to be head injured, as contrasted with 34.8% of nonfamilial alcoholics, a statistically significant group difference. The possible etiological origins of this difference and its behavioral and treatment implications are discussed.
